ASSERT: The effectiveness of a continuing medical education video on knowledge and attitudes about interpersonal violence

Purpose. Developing ways to educate busy clinicians is especially challenging when the subject includes medical, social, and legal aspects, as is the case with interpersonal violence (IPV). Organizations such as the American Medical Association and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) recommend routine IPV screening for patients. Videotape efficiently provides training in multiple locations using experts from different fields. The authors created and evaluated a multidisciplinary continuing medical education (CME) videotape on IPV. Method. The video, ASSERT: A Guide to Child, Elder, Sexual, and Domestic Abuse for Medical Professionals, was developed by experts from medicine, social work, nursing, and law. The video featured role-plays to demonstrate different approaches to these difficult clinical encounters. Pre- and post-viewing questionnaires assessed the video's effectiveness. Results. In all, 120 physicians and 172 other personnel (e.g., nurses, social workers) at 24 sites associated with four academic medical centers completed paired questionnaires. Using a conservative level of significance (p < .002), there was significant improvement for physicians in 77% of the knowledge items and 75% of the attitude items from pre- to post-viewing questionnaires. A total of 73% of viewers would recommend the video to colleagues. Conclusions. The IPV video, using experts from multiple disciplines, improved knowledge and attitudes about child, elder, sexual, and domestic violence, and was rated highly by clinicians. The video was useful for preparing for a JCAHO accreditation visit.