Barriers to screening for domestic violence in an emergency department.
Screening for persons who are victims of domestic violence is not routinely done in emergency departments (EDs) when clients present for care, nor have all health care professionals been educated in ways to ask appropriate questions to assess victimization. Since questions to identify domestic violence are not on admission sheets and documentation is inconsistent, an interdisciplinary team in the ED of an urban medical center conducted a study using five screening questions. Findings revealed inaccurate statistics for domestic violence and significant barriers for staff participation in screening of adult clients. Clinical implications and follow-up educational programs are discussed.
Heinzer
Marjorie M V
MM
La Salle University, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Krimm
John R
JR
D000328:Adult; D019058:Community Networks; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology