CMA has endorsed an innovative online education program to help California doctors better fulfill their important role in treating victims of domestic violence. The free CME program is now available at http://www.respondtodv.org.

The award-winning web-based education program fulfills two vital goals. It provides physicians with the tools they need to help patients who may be victims of domestic violence, while at the same time allowing doctors to meet state requirements for continuing education.

The Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF) is investing $355,000 to make the training available to all physicians at no charge for two years. The BSCF grant has also enabled the program’s authors to add important information on California laws and domestic violence resources. California-licensed physicians who use the program can receive up to 16 continuing medical education (CME) credits—also at no charge—for completing the course.

“This updated program directly responds to California doctors’ concerns about the difficulties they face in treating and caring for abused patients and in complying with California domestic violence reporting laws,” says Crystal Hayling, president and CEO of the Blue Shield of California Foundation. “More and better training for physicians treating domestic violence victims is crucial in providing the best care possible in what is often a time of crisis.”

The state-of-the-art online CME program includes text-based simulations, multimedia tutorials, video presentations by domestic violence experts, downloadable practice tools, and links to scientific journal abstracts. It was developed under a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to Medical Directions, Inc. (MDI) of Tucson, Arizona.