Domestic Violence: Are EDs Missing It?

Domestic violence is a major cause of emergency department visits, but studies have shown that ED staff often fail to recognize domestic violence as the . . .

Domestic violence is a major cause of emergency department visits, but studies have shown that ED staff often fail to recognize domestic violence as the cause of symptoms and injuries and do not address patients' needs for protection and psychosocial support services. Two studies in a large public hospital in Australia address the characteristics of domestic violence victims in the ED and whether nurses and doctors detect the problem.

The authors compared the medical records of all 324 patients who disclosed domestic violence in a screening questionnaire in 1991 or 1992 with those of a random sample of ED controls. The groups were matched for age, sex, and acute versus nonacute presentation to the ED. Victims of domestic violence had made mo…

Reviewing Author

NL Stotland