Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Oct 8;16(10):e71060.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.71060. eCollection 2024 Oct.

Enhancing Healthcare Providers' Response to Gender-Based Violence: Development and Validation of an Assessment Tool Using the Modified e-Delphi Approach

Namratha Kulkarni  1 , Rizwana Shaikh  1 , Pavan Havaldar  2
Affiliations

Enhancing Healthcare Providers' Response to Gender-Based Violence: Development and Validation of an Assessment Tool Using the Modified e-Delphi Approach

Namratha Kulkarni et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background Effective gender-based violence (GBV) interventions depend on precise tools to assess healthcare providers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP). This study aimed to develop and validate a culturally appropriate GBV questionnaire on the KAP of healthcare workers in India using a modified e-Delphi method. Methodology The study used a modified e-Delphi approach, conducted online, to validate a GBV questionnaire. The process included the following three rounds: content validation, quantitative validation, and finalization. It began with a literature review and questionnaire drafting in May 2022, followed by validation from September 2022 to December 2023. The expert panel included healthcare professionals, public health experts, and researchers. The questionnaire included the following four sections: demographic information, knowledge of GBV, attitudes toward GBV, and GBV-related practices. Results In Round 1, significant revisions were made to enhance relevance and clarity, including the addition of a "Don't Know" option and revisions to questions on gender roles and societal expectations. The quantitative validation of Round 2 revealed high scores for Importance (4.980), Usefulness (4.965), Relevance (4.965), Clarity (4.955), Simplicity (4.980), and Ambiguity (4.815), with all items retained and no significant modifications. In Round 3, consensus was achieved, finalizing the questionnaire with expert validation certificates, demonstrating strong reliability and contextual appropriateness. Conclusions The validated KAP questionnaire is a reliable tool for assessing healthcare providers' capacity to manage GBV. It can be used to inform and enhance interventions aimed at improving GBV management in healthcare settings.

Keywords: attitudes; gender-based violence; healthcare providers; india; knowledge; modified delphi method; practices; questionnaire validation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Ethics Committee, KLE Jagadguru Gangadhar Mahaswamigalu Moorsavirmath Medical College issued approval JGMMMCIEC/058/2023. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: The study “Catalyzing Change: Enhancing the Capacity of Healthcare Workers to Address Violence Against Women - An Interventional Study in the Field Practice Area of KLE’s JGMM Medical College, Hubballi, Karnataka” was funded by the Research and Development Cell, KAHER, Belagavi, Karnataka, India. Financial relationships: Dr. Namratha Kulkarni Dr. Rizwana B Shaikh declare(s) a grant from Research Cell, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Steps in the modified e-Delphi method of validation of the questionnaire.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Implications and outcomes of the GBV questionnaire validated by the modified e-Delphi method.
IPV: intimate partner violence; GBV: gender-based violence
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. National Health Mission (NHM): A Hand Book for ASHA on Mobilizing for Action on Violence Against Women. [ Jul; 2022 ]. 2022. http://nhm.gov.in/images/pdf/communitisation/asha/ASHA_Handbook-Mobilizi... http://nhm.gov.in/images/pdf/communitisation/asha/ASHA_Handbook-Mobilizi...
    1. UNICEF. Working with adolescent girl GBV survivors on the move: a guide for service providers. UNICEF: Oct. [ Jul; 2022 ]. 2020. https://www.unicef.org/lac/media/30266/file/Working%20With%20Adolescent%... https://www.unicef.org/lac/media/30266/file/Working%20With%20Adolescent%...
    1. World Health Organization. WHO. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018. Violence Against Women Prevalence Estimates, 2018.
    1. Mobilizing for action on violence against women: notes for ASHA trainers. [ Jul; 2022 ]. 2022. https://nhsrcindia.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/Notes%20for%20ASHA%20... https://nhsrcindia.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/Notes%20for%20ASHA%20...
    1. Knowledge, attitudes and practices of health care providers trained in responding to violence against women: a pre- and post-intervention study. Arora S, Rege S, Bhate-Deosthali P, Thwin SS, Amin A, García-Moreno C, Meyer SR. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-12042-7. BMC Public Health. 2021;21:1973. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources