FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--NATIONAL
Domestic Violence: Partners in Prevention Aids Healthcare Domestic Abuse Screening
Looking in hospital charts, a nurse practitioner and certified SANE examiner (sexual assault nurse examiner) noticed less than 10% had answers to the domestic abuse screening questions that healthcare providers are required to ask by JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations). This has been observed in at least two metropolitan hospitals within the same state, one of which is a Level I trauma facility.
When the nurse practitioner witnessing this inquired about her observations, the Head of Nursing replied, “Do you know how many of these nurses are abused themselves!”
One might go on to wonder:
- How many of these individuals are in controlling relationships in which they are the aggressive partner?
- How many of these individuals witnessed and/or experienced domestic abuse as a child?
- …And how many know the devastating loss of their own child, a sibling, a cousin, a friend or a co-worker to the insidious condition of domestic abuse?
As you are reading this, it may occur to you that one could say the same thing about any ailment/condition walking through the doors of healthcare: hypertension, migraines, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pain conditions, fibromyalgia, arthritis, infectious disease, degenerative disorders and numerous other stress-related illnesses.
Silent Insidious Problem
So what is it about “intimate partner violence” that makes the healthcare provider fail to embrace screening for this condition just as they do for any other condition? We are convinced that it is not the incidence of this condition among the general population (also reflected in their own healthcare provider circle); rather it is the social stigma associated with this condition.
Further, we would venture to say that this stigma is different than that attached to contagious and deadly diseases. It is a stigma that wears an all-engulfing social-emotional, psychological component, beyond blood and tissue. When it’s yours, it can permeate every fiber of your being—sometimes consciously, more often unconsciously.
We suspect this is one of the greatest barriers to healthcare intervention for domestic abuse. Until this barrier is addressed, the regulations and requirements of hospitals and health associations are all in vain. And more seriously, our patients who are in an abusive relationship remain in danger.
It is important to note that firsthand knowledge of domestic abuse is a “human issue.” Its impact with respect to the healthcare provider is only more significant than it would be for other professions because the healthcare provider is expected by hospital regulations and state laws to see it clearly in the patients they treat.
Domestic Violence Prevention and Healthcare
Partners in Prevention, a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to helping healthcare providers overcome their barriers to assessment of, and intervention with, patients who are abused by their domestic partners. Please visit, www.EndDomesticAbuse.org, to receive or support the work of Partners in Prevention.
Our
Mission
We
are dedicated to preventing domestic violence
and intervening when abuse is recognized. Through
consulting, training and speaking, we inspire
and teach nurses, physicians and therapists nationwide to recognize domestic violence, facilitate change
and restore healing for the abused patients they
serve. |
Domestic Abuse Prevention Partnership Opportunity
The first 10 hospitals that collaborate with Partners in Prevention in obtaining funding through foundation or government assistance will receive the Domestic Abuse Assessment and Clinical Management Training along with access to the Intimate Partner Abuse Screen.
Contact us if you are interested in participating in a collaborative campaign to fund this continuing medical/nursing education program for your hospital and/or community.
If your business seeks a display of social responsibility and wants identification with domestic violence prevention in a specific region of the country for strategic marketing purposes, please visit, corporate social responsibility.
If your business caters to healthcare providers and you want presence in front of healthcare professionals, please see corporate sponsorship marketing opportunity.
For every hospital training program we deliver, it is estimated that you and Partners in Prevention contribute to domestic abuse intervention for over 6000 patients annually. We appreciate your support and interest in helping us prevent domestic violence.
Contact Information:
Dr. Jeanne King, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Partners in Prevention
www.EndDomesticAbuse.org
Dr. Jeanne King, Ph.D. helps individuals, families and healthcare professionals to recognize and end domestic abuse. Dr. King, founding director of Partners in Prevention, is a 25-year seasoned licensed psychologist, professional speaker, published author and leading expert in identifying the subtle communication patterns of abusive relationships.
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