Background: The current project undertook a province-wide survey and environmental scan of educational opportunities available to future health care providers on the topic of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women.
SUMMARYOne month's prescriptions from an accident and emergency department were examined. Of these 16% were found not to have been dispensed by the chemist. The commonest drugs prescribed were antibiotics (60%) and analgesics (22%). Most age groups were guilty of failing to collect drugs-primary non-compliance.
METHODIn this department FP10 prescription forms are available for use by accident and emergency doctors at times when the hospital pharmacy is closed. The drugs are issued by the local dispensing chemist who then sends the FP10 to the prescription pricing authority. Subsequently, the month's prescriptions are retumed to the Treasurer of the Health Authority for the bill to be deducted from the hospital budget. At the time of issue in the accident and emergency department a record of the FP10 number is made alongside the casualty card number. All the FP10 prescriptions returned from the month of February 1983 were examined. The type, or types, of drug prescribed and the number of the prescription were recorded. For those FP10s which were issued but not dispensed the drug, or drugs, prescribed and the age of the patient could usually be obtained from the doctor's notes on the casualty card.
RESULTSA total of 226 FP10 prescriptions were issued from the accident and emergency department in February 1983. Of these prescriptions 36 were not cashed at the chemist.
BackgroundIntimate partner violence (IPV) is detrimental to mental health. The Domestic Violence Survivor Assessment (DVSA), which includes a mental health assessment, is often used to evaluate abuse survivors in a counseling situation. The DVSA seeks to outline the cognitive state of women as per the stages of change as they attempt to move toward a life with no IPV.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to explore predictors of change in mental health and distress among women who entered a women's shelter more than once.MethodsWomen entering a women's shelter more than once over a 3-year period were assessed by a trained social worker using the DVSA. A logistic regression analysis examined relationships between the chosen characteristics and the participants’ mental health through the DVSA stages of change.ResultsWe analyzed complete data for 94 women who entered the shelter a mean of 3.3 times (range 2–8) over a mean period of 16.1 days (range: 1–391). Thirty-six women (36/94; 38.3%) progressed through the stages. The average number of visits among women who progressed through the stages was 4. Our multivariable logistic regression showed women who had more visits to the shelter were almost twice as likely to progress through the stages compared to women who entered the shelter fewer times (OR=1.928; 95% CI=1.292–2.877; p=0.001). In the univariate analysis, only increased number of visits was significantly associated with progressing through the stages of change (OR=1.694; 95% CI=1.237–2.322; p=0.001). The other factors were not significantly associated with a change in mental health and distress (p>0.05).ConclusionWomen who enter women's shelters more frequently may be more likely to progress through the DVSA mental health stages compared to other women. Women's shelters may be helpful in assisting progression through the stages of change, thereby improving their mental health after abuse.
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