Establishing consensus among interprofessional faculty on a genderbased violence curriculum in medical schools in Nigeria: A Delphi study

Background. Gender-based violence (GBV), as a topic of medical study and practice, is an integral component of medical education in many developed countries. There is an increasing need to equip medical practitioners with appropriate knowledge, attitudes and skills to care for victims of GBV.Objectives. To obtain consensus among stakeholders on content, the members of faculty who should teach the subject and the methods of training relating to GBV curricula in three medical schools in south-west Nigeria.Methods. Three rounds of the Delphi technique involving 52 experts from among academics, medical practitioners, government and non-governmental organisations were conducted. The first round (RD 1) was open-ended, while subsequent rounds were structured. Consensus was defined as a gathering around mean (>3.5) responses with minimal divergence (standard deviation (SD) <1.5) to the RD 2 questionnaire; strong consensus was >4.0. For the RD 3, consensus was regarded as >50% satisfaction with the rankings from RD 2. A strong consensus was taken as >60% satisfaction.Results. Themes identified in RD 1 were: reasons for teaching GBV; teaching methods, strategies needed and departments best positioned to teach it; professions to involve in training; academic level to offer training; and strategies to assess effective training. From RD 2, the topics ranked highest for inclusion in training were (mean (SD)): complications of GBV, 4.44 (0.63); and safety plan, 4.44 (0.51). Offering training to final-year medical students was most preferred, at 4.25 (1.13); for teaching methods, using videos for training, at 4.63 (0.89), was ranked highest, followed by information, education and communication materials, at 4.50 (0.82). Discussion with victims ranked highest as the most preferred format for teaching, followed by didactic lectures, at 4.06 (0.93) and 4.00 (0.89), respectively. The departments selected to teach GBV were Public Health, at 4.19 (0.91); Accidents and Emergency, 4.06 (0.85); Family Medicine, 3.81 (1.05); and Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 3.81 (0.89). Other professionals suggested were psychologists, social workers and lawyers. With regards to assessment, written examination ranked highest, at 4.06 (0.85). RD 3 confirmed the rankings of RD 2 on all themes, and sought additional suggestions for the training. Most (82.9%) respondents had no additional suggestions; the few elicited included clarifying cultural misconceptions around GBV, involving religious leaders and psychologists, and the recommendation that the teaching should be sustained.Conclusion. These results will inform the development of evidence-based competencies relevant to healthcare providers in the African context. The need for periodic review of the curricula of medical schools to ensure that they address patient and societal needs is highlighted