Detection of gender-based violence in primary care in Central Catalonia: a descriptive cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Background Violence against women is a serious public health problem. Primary care could be one of the ideal places for the detection of gender-based violence, since women come into contact with PC at some point in their lives to look after their sexual and reproductive health. The increase in initiatives promoted by the health authorities regarding gender-based violence offers the possibility of observing its evolution over the last few years. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study of reported cases of gender-based violence in the region of Central Catalonia, during the period from 2017 to 2021, was carried out. All women of legal age, belonging to the specified health region and suffering episodes of gender-based violence, were included. The variables analysed were age, area of residence, health diagnoses related to gender-based violence, whether or not they were pregnant at the time of the attack, and mental health history. Results We found an increase in the detection of cases, although it must be noted that there is an underreporting of cases in PC. The prevalence according to the total number of women assigned per year over the period studied was 0.42% in 2017 and 0.48% in 2021. It has also been observed that the average number of episodes per woman increased from 1.03 in 2017 to 1.15 in 2021. During the 5 years analysed, the minimum number of episodes per woman was 1 and the maximum was 10. In reference to the duration of the episodes, the minimum was 1 day, and the maximum was 32 years. Conclusions Despite the established protocols and procedures, it seems that primary health care is not the most frequent place for its detection. It is necessary to continue working to raise awareness and train professionals, and to ensure coordination among all the parties involved in accompanying women in these processes. Trial registration CEIm: 21/278-P