NCJ Number
156603
Date Published
1994
Length
51 pages
Annotation
This handbook is designed to provide physicians with the practical tools they need to help patients who are victims of domestic violence.
Abstract
Although the primary focus of the handbook is the role of physicians, anyone who works in a medical setting could benefit from this material. The material can be used in any setting, including a doctor's office, medical clinic, or emergency department. The campaign reflected in this training module is based in the belief that victims of domestic violence can only receive appropriate help when they acknowledge their abuse to someone in a position to help them address it. Given physicians' role in health care, they can become important resources for victim assistance. The key, according to this module, is trust between the physician and the victim-patient. One of the objectives of this module is to identify the myths and know the facts about domestic violence; this includes recognizing the national and Maryland statistics concerning domestic violence. Other topics discussed are the definition of domestic violence and its behavioral dynamics, recognition of the types of abuse and the barriers to identification, screening of patients by using this manual's guidelines, recognition of the clinical clues and findings related to domestic violence, and intervention in the domestic violence situation according to manual guidelines. Other topics discussed are documentation of abuse, reporting of abuse, the physician's role in the legal process, legal information for the patient, and domestic violence programs in the community.