American Academy of Family Physicians. (February, 1999). Patients want their physicians to ask about family conflict. American Family Physician P. 969.
A study conducted in six family practices in the South Texas Ambulatory Research Network showed that most patients believe it is appropriate for family physicians to ask about family conflict and partner violence. In the study, 220 patients filled out surveys about partner violence and physician intervention, and 30 percent of the patients reported their physicians had asked about family violence. Two thirds of these believed the advice they received from their physicians was helpful. One interesting finding was that not only all of the women who had been victims, but also all of the men who had been perpetrators believed that physicians should ask about family conflict.
American Health Consultants, Inc. (2000). HIV patients increasingly at risk for domestic violence. AIDS Alert, 15, p. 7.
A report from the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study showed that nearly 13 percent of HIV patients surveyed had experienced physical harm by someone close to them since their diagnosis of HIV infection. More than 20 percent of women, 11.5 percent of gay or homosexual men, and 7.5 percent of straight men reported being victims of domestic violence. Hispanic gay men reported the highest incidence of violence against them, with a rate of 13.6 percent. The study also showed that women are less likely to access health care services if they are in abusive relationships.
Elliott, B. A. (2000). Screening for family violence: Overcoming the barriers. Journal of Family Practice, 49, p. 137-138.
This paper points out the need for physicians to screen their patients for family violence, either between partners or against children. The paper gives guidelines as to how such screenings can be carried out discreetly, including not carrying out the screening in front of verbal chil...