Domestic Abuse: A Major Healthcare Concern - Research Paper Example

Domestic Abuse: A Major Healthcare Concern Introduction Commonly the predicament of abused women has mostly been taken for granted by most healthcare providers, usually as a result of a lack of knowledge of either the issue or the possible solutions (Schroeder & Weber, 1998). In the 1990s, though, in conjunction with other public service, healthcare providers have gradually understood that domestic abuse is a major, if not pressing, public problem (Wies, 2008). The World Medical Association, having understood that healthcare practitioners have an important task to fulfill in the prevention and treatment of domestic abuse, suggested in 1996 that national medical associations must promote and facilitate research to understand the risk factors, pervasiveness, outcomes and medical requirements of those suffering domestic abuse (Thompson et al., 1998). It is important that all healthcare providers acquire knowledge of the characteristics of domestic abuse comprising different explanations of the contributory factors, roots and national interventions. In so doing, all healthcare providers can collaborate with other professional and charitable organizations to provide needed service which satisfies the requirements of all those implicated in abusive situations. This essay will provide a summary of five articles relevant to the issue of domestic abuse. Becoming Aware of Domestic Violence The authors of this article are professional nurses and counselors on women’s health and domestic abuse concerns. The article claims that nurses from academic, administrative, and clinical backgrounds legitimizes the expansion of the awareness of the public and healthcare providers of antiviolence training courses. Majority of current services on domestic abuse have been launched by nurses. The authors argue that healthcare providers can be the community bond to support and develop hospital guidelines on abuse intervention. The emphasis of nursing on comprehensive care is perfectly appropriate to understand the implications of domestic abuse for the entire family. Nursing opinions that may show human reactions and attitudes toward abuse can provide a core for the growth of nursing methods and outcomes for domestic abuse victims. Appropriate Treatment for Domestic Abuse The author is a registered nurse and a consultant for domestic abuse issues. According to this article, by not giving useful aid, healthcare practitioners are allowing a possibly chronic and serious problem to emerge. Eventually, nurses should be capable of recognizing victims and to grant interventions that will provide power to these women. The objectives of this article are to explain the variables that explain the less than efficacious action of healthcare practitioners toward victims of domestic abuse and to show how the nursing field can more successfully support these women. An overview of the pervasiveness of domestic violence is supported by empirical findings that demonstrate how the health care institution has acted in response to these individuals. The core factors that hamper a therapeutic strategy are elaborated, as are techniques that can facilitate nurses in successfully dealing with this health care problem. Providing Shelter for Domestic Abuse Cases This article focuses on the human service arena of domestic abuse support. Domestic violence advocacy initiatives in the United States appeared to take part in awareness-raising about the general causes of male violence employing a feminist perspective while offering needed human services such as food, clothing, and shelter to victims of domestic abuse. This article studies the prevalence of these issues in domestic abuse support and the means domestic abuse practitioners deal with demands to professionalize their provision of services while acknowledging the origins of their work. In contrast to the literature that shows feminist perspectives and professionalization as contradictory, this article shows that domestic abuse practitioners view themselves as reconciling the two frameworks to offer quality advocacy services to victims of domestic abuse. Moreover, the author mentions the advantages of professionalization cited in the existing literature, such as the value of special knowledge and organizational strength. Identifying and Treating Domestic Violence This research carried out a rigorous longitudinal multifactorial intervention at primary care hospitals for one year. The intervention uses a systems method. The purpose is to attain sustainable development in the detection and handling of domestic abuse as experienced in primary care settings. A major part of the general method employed was the provider training course. Although several training procedures have been recommended for dealing with domestic abuse in emergency medical contexts, only some have concentrated on efforts to enhance the response of health care practitioner in primary care contexts. The goals of the research are to (1) identify a training framework to enhance primary care providers’ response to domestic abuse; (b) to elaborate the procedure of putting into practice such a training framework; (c) to present survey data demonstrating the response of providers to the training. Social Work Response to Domestic Abuse According to the authors, the public was not aware of domestic abuse until the 1970’s Women’s Movement, wherein grassroots feminists introduced it to the society. Ever since, a mushrooming of journals and published articles have been produced in reaction to the problem and a record has been made to list the amount of research. This article tackles the problem of regular screening of women in primary care contexts, clinics, and emergency rooms, and the part that nurses can fulfill in the evaluation, referral, and intervention procedure. The authors believe that nurses are in an excellent position to aid in breaking down the obstacles that presently prevent women from getting a regular screening. In their diverse tasks, nurses can educate healthcare providers about the nature and prevalence of domestic abuse; as healthcare providers they can carry out evaluations and screenings in healthcare contexts; as practitioners they can give assistance, referral details, and resources; as scholars they can assess available courses and develop new evaluation instruments; and as legislators they can help in the preparation and creation of the healthcare dynamics for domestic abuse. References Murphy, S.B. & Ouimet, L.V. (2008). Intimate Partner Violence: A Call for Social Work Action. Health and Social Work, 309+. Schroeder, M. & Weber, J.R. (1998). Promoting Domestic Violence Education for Nurses. Nursing Forum , 13+. Thompson, R., Meyer, B., Smith-Dijulio, K., Caplow, M.P., Maiuro, R.D., et al. (1998). A Training Program to Improve Domestic Violence Identification and Management in Primary Care: Preliminary Results. Violence and Victims, 395+ Wies, J.R. (2008). Professionalizing Human Services: A Case of Domestic Violence Shelter Advocates. Human Organization, 221+. Yam, Marylou. (1995). Wife Abuse: Strategies for a Therapeutic Response. Scholarly Inquiry for Nursing Practice, 147+. Read More