Characteristics of family violence victims presenting to emergency departments in Hong Kong.
BACKGROUND
The Emergency Department (ED) has been shown to be a valuable location to screen for family violence.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the characteristics of family violence victims presenting to EDs in a Chinese population in Hong Kong.


METHODS
This study examined a retrospective cohort of patients presenting to the Accident and Emergency Departments of three regional hospitals in the Kwai Tsing district of Hong Kong for evaluation and management of physical injuries related to family violence during the period of January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2008.


RESULTS
A total of 15,797 patients were assessed. The sample comprised cases of intimate partner violence (IPV; n=10,839), child abuse and neglect (CAN; n=3491), and elder abuse (EA; n=1467). Gender differences were found in patterns of ED utilization among the patients. The rates of readmission were 12.9% for IPV, 12.8% for CAN, and 8.9% for EA. Logistic regression showed that being male, being discharged against medical advice, and arriving at the hospital via ambulance were the common factors associated with readmission to the EDs for patients victimized by IPV and CAN.


CONCLUSIONS
This study investigates the victim profile of a large cohort of a Chinese population, providing a unique data set not previously released in this cultural or medical system. The findings give insights to early identification of victims of family violence in the EDs and suggest that screening techniques focused on multiple forms of family violence would improve identification of violence cases. Multidisciplinary collaboration between health, legal, and social service professionals is also warranted to meet the various needs of victims and to reduce hospital readmissions.
Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Ko Ling
KL
Chan
Wai Man Anna
WM
Choi
Daniel Y T
DY
Fong
Chun Bong
CB
Chow
Ming
M
Leung
Patrick
P
Ip
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004552:Elder Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult