Essay On Domestic Violence In Health Care

Health care professionals are in a unique position to aide in combating domestic violence. Over one million women each year seek medical care for injuries as a result of domestic violence ( ). One third of these victims see health care providers, usually more than once, whereas only about 7% of these assaults are reported to law enforcement ( ). Due to the large number of domestic abuse victims who seek medical care but do not go to the police, health care professionals have an important role in reporting. Nearly all states have requirements for physicians to report when a patient is injured by a deadly weapon, such as a knife or gun. However, most states do not have specific requirements for physicians to report domestic violence. Six states, California, Colorado, Kentucky, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Rhode Island, do have specific statutes that mandate reporting of domestic violence to social services or the police. These laws have been met with a general decrease in domestic violence ( ). Mandatory reporting laws for health care providers improve domestic violence screening by medical professionals and create an opportunity for intervention at one of the earliest points possible. If a woman sees her doctor with injuries as a result …show more content…
This increased identification of injuries will better equip physicians to provide the necessary treatment. For example, a woman who is a victim of domestic violence might not disclose that her injuries are a result of abuse. The physician might not properly treat her without knowledge of how exactly she was injured. With proper training on domestic violence injuries screening, doctors will be able to better correctly identify injuries and their causes to properly treat the patient. Overall, this would improve health care providers’ response to domestic violence and improve patient