Managing intimate partner violence at the social services department of a Greek university hospital

Abstract

Although abused patients are thought to access the health system at a range of potential entry points, social services are usually the only referral option within the various hospital sectors. In Greece, little is known about the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and the quality of care provided to cases of abuse at the social services. The current study explored the department's response to IPV cases in a Greek university hospital. Two different research methods were employed: qualitative and document research. Qualitative data were collected through personal interviews with the 10 social workers employed at the department. Document research involved the review of all registries and social history forms recorded between January 2005 and April 2009 at the department. Two predefined screening criteria were employed to identify IPV cases. Seven socio-demographic variables were abstracted from all IPV cases that met the inclusion criteria.Findings: Four main themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: 1) knowledge gap and openness to education, 2) poor assessment and recording practices, 3) concerns about intervention in confirmed cases, and 4) mistrust in referral resources. The document research revealed a total of 42 records (3.8%) having an IPV screening record present, out of the 1117 initially reviewed. The majority of the IPV patients were

Η Εμπλοκή Των Υπηρεσιών Πρωτοβάθμιας Φροντίδας Υγείας Στην Αντιμετώπιση Της Συντροφικής Βίας Και Στη Βελτίωση Της Ποιότητας Φροντίδας

“…Another noteworthy finding of the current study is that high numbers of participants in both professional groups reported sufficient to high confidence in their skills to assess and manage IPV. The current finding is not consistent with previous findings in Greek health care professionals (Papadakaki et al, 2012b;Zidianakis et al, 2009) and findings from other countries indicating low confidence of health care providers in addressing the problem Sugg & Inue, 1992). The low perceived IPV educational attainment reported by the participants in the current study does not either justify this finding.…”

“…This knowledge gap of home care practitioners seems quite alarming and undrlines the need for more comprehensive IPV education. Poor IPV education has been demonstrated in previous studies of Greek social workers, nurses and general practitioners employed in other health care settings (Androulaki et al, 2008;Chatzifotiou et al, 2012;Papadakaki et al, 2012b;Zidianakis et al, 2009). This finding is not surprising as undergraduate social work curricula in Greece, in all four higher education social work institutes make limited if any reference to violence against women (Papadakaki et al, 2012b).…”

“…Poor IPV education has been demonstrated in previous studies of Greek social workers, nurses and general practitioners employed in other health care settings (Androulaki et al, 2008;Chatzifotiou et al, 2012;Papadakaki et al, 2012b;Zidianakis et al, 2009). This finding is not surprising as undergraduate social work curricula in Greece, in all four higher education social work institutes make limited if any reference to violence against women (Papadakaki et al, 2012b). Medical schools in Greece have not either put priority to this educational aspect, producing medical doctors without IPV educational exposure .…”

“…Another major barrier of IPV management acknowledged in this study primarily by the social workers was the "lack of professional protocols related to assessing and responding to IPV". The lack of professional standards in everyday practice of Greek social workers and other health care professions has been reported in the past as a barrier of IPV assessment and management, resulting in the opportunistic management of IPV cases and allowing individual perceptions and stereotypic thinking to play a key role in the decision-making process (Papadakaki et al, 2012b;.…”

Social work interventions on intimate partner violence against women in China

“…Financial constraint is one of the major obstacles for many women who experience IPV when it comes to making a decision about whether they are staying in or leaving a violent relationship (Carlson, McNutt, Choi, & Rose, 2002; Tam, 2004; WHO, 2002). Women with limited financial resources, for instance, have to consider whether they should get medical treatment and/or injury assessment at hospitals or save the money for basic needs such as food, housing, and clothing for their children (Papadakaki, Kastrinaki, Drakaki, & Chliaoutakis, 2012; Pyles, 2006; Tam, Kwok, Wu, Law, & Chan, 2009; WHO, 2005b).…”