Health Stu Fac

Novemeber 2006

Spotlight: Stanford's Domestic Violence Task Force
In the News
  • 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence
    • Research
  • Screening for Intimate Partner Violence in the Pediatric Emergency Department
  • Barriers to Domestic Violence Screening
  • Should Children Be in the Room When the Mother Is Screened for Partner Violence?
    • Announcements
  • Family Violence Prevention Fund's 2007 National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence

    Spotlight on Stanford!

    SUMC Domestic Violence Task Force

    Spearheaded by the Stanford University Medical Center Domestic Violence Task Force – SMUC put on an impressive and inspiring campaign to educate their campus on family violence. October 9- 13th was dubbed Family Abuse Awareness Week, in conjunction with Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day. The task force took awareness to another level. Through their noontime talks, posters with personal DV stories, three websites,1500 hotline cards handed out, and coordinated violence-themed grand rounds – the SUMC Domestic Violence Task Force is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Their leadership and effort did what all activists hope to do – begin a campus wide conversation on the topic of domestic violence. They got their colleagues; students and physicians alike, to think and discuss domestic violence – and for that we congratulate Stanford for serving as a model of excellence in Domestic Violence Activism!

    Please visit http://domesticabuse.stanford.edu/ to learn more

    If your school, or someone you know is inspiring those around them – let us know (at anita.nageswaran@gmail.com ) so that we might highlight them in the next issue of this newsletter. Thanks for your contribution to our community!

    In the News

    16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence

    The first Women’s Global Leadership Institute kicks off an international campaign against gender violence. Events begin November 25th and last until December 19th, International Human Rights Day.

    For more information, resources, international calendar of events, etc, go to: http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/16days/home.html

    A resource list (including books, articles, toolkits, websites, and films) can be accessed via: http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/16days/kit05/biblio.pdf

    Research

    A Small Door to a Large Problem – Pediatrics as a Link to Domestic Violence in the Home.

    Screening for Intimate Partner Violence in the Pediatric Emergency Department

    The goal of this study was to determine the annual prevalence of IPV in an urban pediatric setting. Via a 15-item questionnaire, female primary caregivers were surveyed about violence in the home, upon arrival at a pediatric ED. 11% of the women reported IPV. The relative risk of IPV was nearly 6 times higher for those women who had not completed high school. There was no clear association between IPV and poverty, and no association with the child’s diagnosis. Overwhelmingly 75% of women thought that screening for IPV in the pediatric ED setting was appropriate.

    For more information please reference: Pediatric Emergency Care, February 2005; Volume 21, Number 2

    Barriers to Domestic Violence Screening

    It has been found that 40% of mothers will disclose domestic violence when screened in the pediatric setting. In conjunction with the recognized deleterious effects of DV on children, it is now best practice to regularly screen for violence when seeing a child. But what stands in the way? Through a 22 question survey various barriers to screening were identified. In 2000, many practitioners (64%) were unaware of the American Association of Pediatricians recommendation to screen all families for IPV. The most commonly identified barriers to screening were lack of education, office protocol, and support staff, on the part of physicians. Those with specific DV training were over 10 times more likely to screen. It was concluded that these pediatricians were grossly underestimating the incidence of DV in their practices, and that a lack of education was a great barrier to screening for domestic violence in the pediatric setting.

    For more information please reference: Pediatrics 2001; 108; 98-102.

    Should Children Be in the Room When the Mother Is Screened for Partner Violence?

    Often the best and only opportunity to screen for IPV is during a pediatric visit, or even during an adult visit in which children accompany the parent to the doctor’s office. Such a scenario is commonplace, if not the norm. So, then, how do physicians screen for DV with the hypervigilant and sensitive ears of a child a mere three feet away from the victim?

    Through interviews and focus groups experts debated the appropriateness of screening for IPV in front of young (2-3year old) children. It was concluded that general questions were appropriate, and that in-depth, detailed questioning should be done in private (if IPV was unveiled). Documentation in the child’s chart however was more controversial – as the abuser could have access to such records. However it was concluded that screening was important, and that “interrupting the cycle of violence may give a child a better chance at maturing into a healthy adult.”

    For more information please reference: Journal Fam Pract 2000; 49:130-136

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    Family Violence Prevention Fund's 2007 National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence

    Registration Now Open Online!
    Pre-conference sessions: March 15, 2007
    Conference: March 16 - March 17, 2007

    Location:
    Grand Hyatt San Francisco
    San Francisco, California, USA

    The 4th Biennial National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence aims to advance the health care system’s response to domestic violence. The conference attracts the nation’s leading medical, public health and family violence experts from across the U.S. with increased international participation. Workshops and plenary sessions highlight the latest research and most innovative clinical responses to domestic violence, with a focus on the work being done by physicians, physician assistants, dentists, nurses, nurse midwives, mental and behavioral health providers, social workers, domestic violence experts, and others.

    A pre-conference session specifically focusing on professional health students and domestic violence activism will be held on March 15, 2007. Students will receive a reduced conference registration price and are eligible for scholarships. Please contact Anna Marjavi (anna@endabuse.org p:415-252-8900) with further questions.


    View Conference Purpose and Goals

    Registration now open! http://www.endabuse.org/health/conference/

    View content from our 2004 National Conference on Health Care and Domestic Violence in Boston, MA.

     

    Health Students and Faculty Against Domestic Violence is a monthly listserv aimed to network health students and faculty from across the country who are interested in improving the health sector response to domestic violence. To subscribe visit http://www.endabuse.org/programs/healthcare/, click on 'Read More' under Join Monthly Listservs , and click on 'Subscribe' under Health Students and Faculty Against Domestic Violence Listserv.

    We encourage you to use this listserv to announce upcoming events you are planning or to pose questions to the group. To post an announcement or ask a question, send an e-mail to anita.nageswaran@gmail.com.

    The listserv is moderated by Anita Nageswaran, Health Intern with the Family Violence Prevention Fund and Second Year Medical Student at the University of California, San Francisco

    Thank you for contributing to our community!

    To learn more please visit our website http://www.endabuse.org/health