Don’t risk missing domestic violence victims
Do you want to be sure your ED’s domestic violence program is effective? According to current statistics, 2%-4% of all female ED patients present with acute trauma associated with domestic violence, while 10%-12% have a recent history of domestic violence.1,2
A free on-line tool, offered by the Rockville, MD-based Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, can be used to assess how well ED nurses are trained in recognizing domestic violence, screen patients to determine their risk of domestic violence and future injury, and intervene to provide medical treatment and arrange for follow-up care with victim advocacy services.
"The ED plays a major role through screening and intervention," says Jeffrey H. Coben, MD, associate professor of emergency medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine and director of the Center for Violence and Injury Control at Allegheny General Hospital, both based in Pittsburgh. He developed the tool.
To use the tool, you’ll answer 38 questions about your facility’s domestic violence program. You are provided with an assessment of your program, based on the consensus opinion of domestic violence experts. These can be used as benchmarks to improve your domestic violence program, Coben says.
If your scores are poor, he suggests presenting administrators with formal documentation of this poor rating. This rating can be used as leverage to advocate for resources such as additional training for ED nurses, he says.
Coben encourages users of the site to actively participate in comparing their scores with other facilities. "I am collecting data on a large number of sites, so if someone wants to compare their scores with average’ or best-program’ scores, they can contact me for assistance," he offers.
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Site: Evaluating
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References
1. Dearwater SR, Coben JH, Campbell JC, et al. Prevalence of intimate partner abuse in community hospitals. JAMA 1998; 280:433-438.
2. Abbott J, Johnson R, Koziol-McLain J, et al. Domestic violence against women: Incidence and prevalence in an emergency department. JAMA 1995; 273:1,763-1,767.
Do you want to be sure your EDs domestic violence program is effective? According to current statistics, 2%-4% of all female ED patients present with acute trauma associated with domestic violence, while 10%-12% have a recent history of domestic violence.
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