Ask these questions to assess abuse
All women presenting for care should be screened for the possibility of past or current abuse. Screening should take place in private and should be repeated at every visit, particularly during pregnancy. Using this abuse assessment tool may be helpful:
o Do you feel emotionally abused by your partner?
Has your partner ever hit, slapped, punched, shoved, kicked, or otherwise physically hurt you?
o Are you afraid of your partner or any family member?
o Do you feel your partner tries to control you socially, financially, or emotionally?
o Has your partner ever forced you into sex or sexual activities when you did not wish to participate?
o Did any of these behaviors start during your pregnancy or change during the course of your pregnancy?
o During the pregnancy, did your partner ever prevent you from seeking prenatal care?
Keep in mind that some women may not answer the first time, but that many women will disclose violence in their relationship if asked. It is your responsibility to ask.
Source: Any Woman Can Be Hurt...No Woman Deserves It. American College of Nurse-Midwives, Washington, DC.
Resources
• Deborah Horan, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), 409 12th St. SW, P.O. Box 96920, Washington, DC 20090-6920. Phone: (800) 673-8444, ext. 2487 or (202) 863-2487. Fax: (202) 484-3917. E-mail: [email protected]. Patient brochures, pocket cards, tent cards, and posters, some also available in Spanish, are free in limited quantities. Contact Chris Himes at (800) 673-8444, ext. 2434. ACOG also offers patient and provider information at its Web site, http://www.acog.org. Click on "Department News" then "Violence Against Women."
• American College of Nurse-Midwives, 818 Connec ticut Ave. NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20006. Phone: (202) 728-9860. Fax: (202) 728-9897. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: http://www.midwife.org. A domestic violence video set and companion manual (No. DV7) is $95; bulk discounts available for six or more. Call (202) 728-9879 for details. A domestic violence awareness packet (No. DV1), including a poster, stand-up card, provider brochure, prescription pad, and patient handouts, is $15. Some items may be ordered separately. Add 15% for shipping/handling. Orders may be placed at the college’s Web site; mailed to American College of Nurse-Midwives Publications; P.O. Box 5036, Washington, DC 20061- 5036; or faxed with credit card information to (202) 728-9897.
• National Domestic Violence Hotline. Phone: (800) 799-7233 [(800) 799-SAFE] and (800) 787-3224 (TDD). The hotline offers immediate help, in English or Spanish, 24 hours a day, seven days each week. It also has interpreters available to translate an additional 139 languages. It may be reached toll-free from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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