Proper Screening Could Stop Domestic Violence
Many doctors are avoiding the subject of domestic violence or approaching it ineffectively with patients, a new study concludes.
30-Second Summary
Effective screening may be the key to preventing and ending cases of domestic violence against women, but many doctors are not asking the right questions, or broaching the subject effectively.
Only 7 percent of nearly 5,000 women surveyed in a recent nationwide study said a physician had ever asked them about domestic violence, while doctors maintained that they didn’t have the time, training or enough access to services to help patients being abused.
Experts say the best way to ask patients about abuse “is in a private place, with no family members present, as part of the routine patient history,” according to the New York Times.
However, in order for a patient to feel comfortable enough to divulge details of domestic violence, the doctor must first establish a good rapport, which means different things to different people.
Many medical schools now use actors to “help young doctors perfect their bedside manner,” reports AARP. Empathy and compassion are focused on in tandem with medical knowledge.
Others feel that doctors are either inherently capable of compassion and empathy, or not. Such critics believe that etiquette-based medicine that encourages doctors to be polite and professional could be a more realistic means of achieving patient satisfaction.
Only 7 percent of nearly 5,000 women surveyed in a recent nationwide study said a physician had ever asked them about domestic violence, while doctors maintained that they didn’t have the time, training or enough access to services to help patients being abused.
Experts say the best way to ask patients about abuse “is in a private place, with no family members present, as part of the routine patient history,” according to the New York Times.
However, in order for a patient to feel comfortable enough to divulge details of domestic violence, the doctor must first establish a good rapport, which means different things to different people.
Many medical schools now use actors to “help young doctors perfect their bedside manner,” reports AARP. Empathy and compassion are focused on in tandem with medical knowledge.
Others feel that doctors are either inherently capable of compassion and empathy, or not. Such critics believe that etiquette-based medicine that encourages doctors to be polite and professional could be a more realistic means of achieving patient satisfaction.
Headline Links: The domestic violence epidemic
The New York Times reports that effective screening may be key to preventing and ending cases of domestic violence against women. “Numerous studies indicate that doctors ask about domestic violence poorly, however, and don’t handle it well when they do get a yes answer,” said the Times. Establishing a good rapport with patients is essential for open communication, said the article.
Source: New York Times
Federal welfare-reform legislation requires that caseworkers screen for domestic violence, but a study by the University of Washington found that screening occurred for just 9 percent of women who applied for aid. Additionally, transcripts of interviews between patients and caseworkers revealed that only about 1 percent were screened effectively.
Source: University of Washington News
According to The Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, pediatricians should “routinely screen their patients’ mothers or caregivers for signs” of spousal abuse. Children often witness domestic violence, and therefore are “at high risk of being abused themselves,” said the Center. Even brief screening can protect victims of abuse, and children who see or hear it.
Source: Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
Related Links: Physicians’ rapport with patients
An AARP article discussed a trend in U.S. medical schools: using actors to “help young doctors perfect their bedside manner.” Patients’ complaints that doctors were “too detached and distant,” prompted the new emphasis on compassionate medicine.
Source: AARP
An article by Dr. Michael W. Kahn in The New England Journal of Medicine discusses the need for “well-behaved” doctors. Kahn feels that today’s emphasis on compassion in medicine can only go so far, depending on a doctor’s own personality and character. Etiquette-based medicine could be a more realistic means of achieving patient satisfaction, he believes.
Source: New England Journal of Medicine
Reference: Legislation to protect women
In May 2008 the International Violence Against Women Act was introduced in the House of Representatives. The Act would utilize U.S. diplomacy and foreign aid toward preventing abuse and exploitation of women and girls, which affects an estimated one in three females globally.
Source: Family Violence Prevention Fund
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