Mar 03 2004
One in three women seeking emergency medical care in inner city hospitals in the U.K. has suffered domestic violence at some point in her life. The study is based on questionnaire responses from 198 women seeking emergency medical treatment at one inner city hospital during the course of 22 nursing shifts covering all times of the day and week. None of the women was drunk, confused, or critically ill.
Physical assault by a sexual partner was the reason for seeking emergency medical care for only one per cent of the women surveyed. A further 6% said that they had been physically assaulted during the preceding 12 months. Almost 35% reported that they had been the victims of domestic violence at some point during their life. Ten percent reported that the abuse had been life threatening.
The authors of this study are encouraging emergency medical staff to be more assertive in asking about domestic violence. 60% of the women surveyed in the emergency room welcomed such questions and thought that they should be asked more often.
It's unclear whether the results in this hospital are representative of the U.S. - or even the entire U.K. Should emergency room personnel ask all women about their history of domestic violence?
Reference: British Medical Journal, March 2004
Last updated 11/8/05
