Domestic violence : are we assessing adequately?

Keywords

Family violence

Abstract

It is estimate that between 2.5 and 4 million women are abused annually by their intimate partner. This abuse may be physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological. Current literature indicates that more than 1 million visits to emergency departments and primary health care providers are a result of domestic violence. The problem in identifying women who are abused appears to be the lack of assessment for domestic violence by health care providers. All women in primary care settings should be assessed for domestic violence. Both physical and emotional barriers are cited in the literature as reasons for this lack of assessment. Routine screening of all women is the key to identifying and reducing the risk of domestic violence.

The purpose of this scholarly project was to develop, implement, and evaluate an educational program that incorporates role-playing, gaming, and discussion in a 60-minute educational program. The program entitled "Domestic Violence: Are We Assessing Adequately?" was designed to increase knowledge, comfort, and empathy of healthcare providers in addressing domestic violence. In this program the participants were taught the types and characteristics of physical, emotional, sexual, and psychological abuse. Gaming and role-playing were utilized as teaching techniques.

Participants also learned about the costs of abuse and about referral sources. Included in this program was the importance of routine screening for all women and how to document pertinent information.

This continuing education program was well received by the participants as reflected by their evaluations. Following minor revisions this program may be utilized by other health care providers to promote improved assessment of women for domestic violence.

Notes

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Graduation Date

1999

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Weiss, JoAnne

Degree

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Health and Public Affairs

Department

Nursing

Format

Print

Language

English

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Identifier

DP0023879

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Health and Public Affairs; Health and Public Affairs -- Dissertations, Academic

Accessibility Status

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