Domestic violence: an educational imperative?

ABSTRACT

PIP: In the US, domestic violence is the most common cause of injury to women, and, because they are women's primary care physicians, obstetrician-gynecologists (OB-GYNs) are in a position to identify battered women. With legislation pending that would require federally-funded medical education to include domestic violence in its curriculum, a survey was conducted of all OB-GYN residencies to determine their current status in the provision of domestic violence education. With 83% of the programs responding (n = 264), it was found that 28% had at least one faculty member with expertise in domestic violence, that the incidence of domestic violence among clients was underestimated, and that 75% of respondents did not recognize at least 1 of the 10 common clinical scenarios as suggestive of battering (at least 44% failed to recognize the risk factors of no prenatal care, preterm labor, emergency room visits, and psychiatric diagnoses). Only 28% of respondents reported that they teach residents to ask all or almost all patients about battering. Most respondents expressed dissatisfaction with their coverage of this topic and asked for help in curriculum development. In addition, 40% were unaware of the pending federal legislation. This study concluded that there is a strong need to develop an OB-GYN curriculum that deals with domestic violence but that further study is needed to determine the optimal teaching methods.