title: Hospital visits due to domestic violence from 1994 to 2011 in the Solomon Islands: a descriptive case series.
abstract: The Solomon Islands has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world. This paper is a descriptive case series of all cases of domestic violence presenting to the Solomon Islands National Referral Hospital (NRH) over 18 years. Data were routinely collected from a database of all patients who were treated by NRH general surgery and orthopedic clinicians between 1994 and 2011, inclusive. The total number of cases in the injury database as a result of domestic violence was 387. The average number of cases in the database per year from 1994 to 2011 was 20. There were 6% more female patients (205 of 387; 53%) than male (182 of 387; 47%). Of the cases in which the perpetrator of the violence against a female patient was specified (111 of 205 female cases), 74% (82 of 111) were the patient's husband. Only 5% (5 of 111) of cases in females were inflicted by another female. This analysis provides the best available information on domestic violence cases requiring a visit to a tertiary hospital in a Pacific Island in the specified time period and is undoubtedly an under-estimate of the total cases of domestic violence. Preventing and treating domestic violence in the Solomon Islands and in the Pacific is an important challenge and there is a significant role for secondary and tertiary health services in screening for and preventing domestic violence.
authors.affiliation: Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (PF, JN, DPL).
authors.forename: Penny C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Farrell
authors.affiliation: Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (PF, JN, DPL).
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Negin
authors.affiliation: Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (PF, JN, DPL).
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Houasia
authors.affiliation: Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (PF, JN, DPL).
authors.forename: Alex B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Munamua
authors.affiliation: Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (PF, JN, DPL).
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Leon
authors.affiliation: Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (PF, JN, DPL).
authors.forename: Mia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rimon
authors.affiliation: Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (PF, JN, DPL).
authors.forename: Alexandra L C
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Martiniuk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008542:Melanesia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Pacific; Solomon Islands; domestic violence; hospital; screening