Spousal abuse victims often visit the emergency room.
The National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study in November 1998 stating that women make almost 700,000 visits a year to health care providers as a result of domestic violence. Screening for spousal abuse or domestic violence in emergency rooms is an early attempt to end a vicious cycle that could have potentially deadly outcomes.
Who Screens for Spousal Abuse
Screening for spousal abuse is done by health care professionals who have been trained on ask questions regarding spousal abuse and recognize signs of spousal abuse. The health care professional is allowed access to all patient medical records and will make notes of any report of abuse.
How Should Screening Occur
Screening for spousal abuse should occur in a private setting with only the health care professional and the patient in the room. Patients are made aware of patient/doctor confidentiality. Questions asked during the screening are part of a written health care questionnaire. All questions asked are direct and non-judgmental. The health care professional should create a sense of respect and trust with the patient in order to receive the most honest and direct answers.
Questions Asked During Screening
The questions asked during a screening for spousal abuse interview screen for emotional, physical and sexual abuse by a spouse. Some questions are as follows:
Has your partner or ex-partner ever hit you or physically hurt you? Has he
ever threatened to hurt you or someone close to you?
Do you ever feel afraid of your partner? Do you feel you are in danger? Is it
safe for you to go home?
Do you feel controlled or isolated by your partner?
Has your partner ever forced you to have sex when you didn't want to? Has
your partner ever refused to practice safe sex?
Signs of Spousal Abuse
Health care providers are trained to look for signs of spousal abuse during the screening process. Signs of spousal abuse including the patient's showing an immense fear of her partner, bruises on the patient's body (hands, arms, face, neck, back and legs), depression, anxiety and low-self esteem when she used to exude confidence. Victims of spousal abuse tend to make excuses for their partner or provide an untrue explanation of how they were injured.
Spousal Abuse Statistics
In November 1998, the National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and prevention conducted a study on spousal abuse. The study included information from emergency rooms in several cities throughout the United States. In two of the cities used for the study, it was found that almost 5,000 people had suffered from some form of spousal abuse. Ten percent of those people stated that they were currently in an abusive relationship and another 4 percent stated that the current visit to the emergency room was a result of spousal abuse.
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