Doctors don't have the tools in Family Violence
Patients' reports of domestic violence not recorded by a nearly a third of
surveyed physicians. Because they are not comfortable and trained properly in this area.
Nearly a third of surveyed physicians do not keep a record when patients
report domestic violence. Published today in the open access journal BMC
Family Practice, a study of clinicians' reports on patients who experienced
domestic violence also reveals that 90% of the clinicians surveyed do not
document domestic violence adequately. Their reports do not record whether
they offered support and information about domestic violence to patients who
might have needed it.
Megan Gerber, from Harvard Medical School, and colleagues from other
institutions in the USA, analysed the content of clinicians' reports on
patients who had reported domestic violence in a questionnaire. The
questionnaire was filled in prior to a consultation and the patient gave it
to the clinician at the start of the consultation.
Nearly 5% (115/2341) of patients who completed a questionnaire reported
having experienced domestic violence. The authors analysed the doctors'
reports for 90 of them. Their results show that nearly one third (26/90) of
the reports did not document the patient's report of domestic violence.
Clinicians are asked to offer patients who report domestic violence some
information about where to get help, and to assist them in developing a list
of steps to take to get out of their situation. Only 10% of reports recorded
that the clinician had provided the most complete level of documentation.
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The study found that a third of clinicians surveyed do not feel confident in
counselling patients who report intimate partner violence.
Article :
How and why community hospital clinicians document a positive screen for
intimate partner violence: a cross-sectional study.
Megan R. Gerber MD, MPH, Karen S. Leiter JD, MPH, Richard C. Hermann MD, MS
and David H. Bor MD
BMC Family Practice 2005, 6:48 (21 November 2005)
Susan Murphy Milano is the author of "Moving Out, Moving On, when a reltionship goes wrong and "Defending Our Lives" getting away from domestic violence & staying safe. Website -www.movingoutmovingon.com or you can email her at Kindlivingpress@aol.com.
