Pre-hospital provider recognition of intimate partner violence

Edlin, Alex; Williams, Brett; Williams, Angela

doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2010.08.004

Cited by 7 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…However, at the time of writing, Australian paramedic agencies have not taken on such an initiative.Previous work has queried why IPV is not addressed to any significant extent either in prehospital educational courses or indeed by paramedic organisations themselves. 2 The results from our research increase the urgency for an answer to such a question. Our results suggest that paramedics are not equipped to deal with this particular category of patients that they regularly encounter.In the light of the insidious nature of the trauma suffered by such patients, it is surprising that action in the form of education and awareness has not been conducted sooner.…”

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confidence: 64%

“…Previous work has queried why IPV is not addressed to any significant extent either in prehospital educational courses or indeed by paramedic organisations themselves. 2 The results from our research increase the urgency for an answer to such a question. Our results suggest that paramedics are not equipped to deal with this particular category of patients that they regularly encounter.…”

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confidence: 64%

“…However, paramedics receive little training and education in the management of such patients. 2 Over the past two decades the international literature has repeatedly highlighted this issue 3 and yet Australian research has stagnated in both the prehospital recognition and management of IPV. Practical attempts to improve outcomes for victims (the vast majority of whom are female) by Australian paramedic organisations have also been minimal.…”

Section: Dear Editormentioning

confidence: 99%

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Are Australian paramedics prepared for intimate partner violence?

Dousek

Parekh²,

Williams³

et al. 2012

Emerg Medicine Australasia

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Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a common occurrence in Australian society, with far-reaching health, social and economic implications. 1 The victims of IPV requiring medical care are often encountered by paramedics in the prehospital environment. However, paramedics receive little training and education in the management of such patients. 2 Over the past two decades the international literature has repeatedly highlighted this issue 3 and yet Australian research has stagnated in both the prehospital recognition and management of IPV. Practical attempts to improve outcomes for victims (the vast majority of whom are female) by Australian paramedic organisations have also been minimal.We recently examined the results of a questionnaire given to 50 Australian Capital Territory paramedics that measured their frequency of attending IPV cases, paramedic knowledge of IPV and their perceived preparedness for IPV cases. We found that 90% of participants had responded to at least one IPV case in the preceding year (with a range of 0-20 cases), with an average of 3.66 cases. Notably, none of the paramedics sampled used any IPV screening tools, and therefore was likely to have suspected IPV only where it was overt.Victims of IPV will not always volunteer the true cause of their trauma and might even attempt to hide the fact. Thus, there is significant underreporting in the above data. 4 Furthermore, two-thirds of participating paramedics were unaware of the lack of mandatory reporting legislation in their state, and almost four in every five reported feeling less than confident in managing IPV cases.Although there is no other Australian literature available, our results are consistent with a previous web-based survey by Mason et al. in Ontario province in Canada. 5 This study reported a similar frequency of IPV cases, as well as poor knowledge and preparedness of their paramedic participants, and the intention to give emergency medical services providers specific education and training on domestic violence. 5 The USA has attempted to introduce standardised and empirically evidenced prehospital screening for domestic violence (IPV). However, at the time of writing, Australian paramedic agencies have not taken on such an initiative.Previous work has queried why IPV is not addressed to any significant extent either in prehospital educational courses or indeed by paramedic organisations themselves. 2 The results from our research increase the urgency for an answer to such a question. Our results suggest that paramedics are not equipped to deal with this particular category of patients that they regularly encounter.In the light of the insidious nature of the trauma suffered by such patients, it is surprising that action in the form of education and awareness has not been conducted sooner. Preparing paramedics with the appropriate attitude, knowledge and skills to effectively deal with victims of IPV to the same extent as those provided for the management of road trauma will assist paramedics to better care for these patients. ...

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confidence: 64%

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confidence: 64%

Section: Dear Editormentioning

confidence: 99%

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Are Australian paramedics prepared for intimate partner violence?

Dousek

Parekh²,

Williams³

et al. 2012

Emerg Medicine Australasia

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“…Intimate partner violence, a form of domestic violence, occurs between adults of the same or opposite sex in a current, or past, intimate relationship (1)(2)(3)(4). A well-known risk factor for both injury and death among victims, domestic violence is also used to describe child abuse and elder abuse (2). Recognised as a serious public health issue worldwide, intimate partner violence (IPV) studies in Australia, Canada and the United States (US) indicate a significant cost to the health care system in each country contributing as much as 8% of the burden of disease, higher than other well known risk factors (2,(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A community-based survey conducted in the US (6) indicated that 51% of respondents knew someone who had been a victim of IPV and 36% of respondents would consider contacting paramedics as a first contact for help instead of law enforcement (2,6). This indicates that paramedics have a unique opportunity to see IPV victims in their homes, potentially observing and identifying IPV without requiring prior notification.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paramedic identification and management of victims of intimate partner violence: A literature review

Mackey

2017

Australasian Journal of Paramedicine

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IntroductionIntimate partner violence (IPV) occurs between adults of the same or opposite sex in a current, or past, intimate relationship. The aim of this paper is to review the literature regarding paramedic confidence, capacity and accuracy when identifying adult victims of IPV and subsequent management of the scene when IPV is suspected or identified.MethodsA review of the literature using Ovid MEDLINE was conducted; five articles met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. ResultsResults show a consistency in findings across research areas in Australia, Canada and the United States and are clear in four separate areas: paramedics demonstrate a high degree of accuracy in identifying IPV victims; professional training effectively increases paramedic knowledge of IPV; greater than 50% of the paramedic population surveyed felt underprepared to deal with an IPV scene; and the majority of surveyed paramedics attend between one and 10 IPV scenes per year.ConclusionThis review indicates that paramedics have the capacity to accurately identify IPV victims, and that paramedics recognise a deficit in their professional IPV training. Further research is required, using a robust sample size, to construct appropriate training packages and guide improvement to paramedic clinical practice guidelines.

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