180: Preparing to Interact with the Legal System: It's Child's Play!

Child maltreatment (CM) is a widespread problem in children and youth. Pediatricians and health professionals involved may be required to interact with child welfare authorities and the court system; arenas in which they may be unfamiliar. Professionals often have little experience in reporting suspected CM and frequently don't feel prepared to provide court testimony. Even for those specializing in CM, stress surrounding court appearances is reported. Exposure to and familiarity with this element of practice could increase comfort and competence. Games are an established and effective teaching method. However, evidence for game-based learning among health professionals is limited. To assess the satisfaction with and perceived learning from a game-based tool designed to assist with preparation for court. A board game with content developed by an expert CM group was created. Game content, in the form of questions and tasks, reflected knowledge and skills required by the court system. Attendees at a session on ‘preparing for court’ at a national Child Maltreatment Symposium played the game for one hour. An anonymous post-session survey was completed to assess participants' satisfaction and perceived learning. Responses to questions on a 5-point Likert scale were coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative comments were analyzed and grouped by emerging themes. Forty-three of the 58 players completed a survey yielding a response rate of 74%. Thirty-four respondents (79%) self-identified as a pediatrician or Child Abuse pediatrician, 9% (n=4) were trainees and 12% (n=5) were allied health practitioners. Over half of the respondents were between the ages of 25–45 (n=22). The mean number of years in practice was 19 (range 2–46). Respondents most often “agreed” that the game was: useful for learning (88%), helped link knowledge to practice (56%) and met their educational needs (68%). The vast majority of respondents “agreed” or “strongly agreed” (70%) they would participate in a similar session in the future. When asked to compare the game experience to prior educational sessions about court, respondents most often “agreed” or “strongly agreed” (81%) that the game held their attention better. Qualitative feedback, in the form of exemplar quotes also supported respondents' satisfaction with the game as a learning tool. These results suggest that game-based learning is an effective and positively accepted method of learning about court. Similar game based interactive sessions may be useful for education in other areas with limited preparation options and opportunities for practical experience.

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