Acceptability of routine enquiry regarding domestic violence in the antenatal clinic

Domestic Violence poses a significant health risk for the woman and her baby. We wished to determine the acceptability of routine questioning for domestic violence in the maternity hospital setting. A non-anonymised questionnaire was completed by 481 women attending for booking antenatal appointment...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Irish medical journal 2006-04, Vol.99 (4), p.123-124
Main Authors: McDonnell, E, Holohan, M, Reilly, M O, Warde, L, Collins, C, Geary, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Communication
Diagnostic Tests, Routine
Domestic Violence
Female
Health Care Surveys
Humans
Ireland
Mandatory Reporting
Medical History Taking
Outpatient Clinics, Hospital
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
Physician-Patient Relations
Pregnancy
Prenatal Care
Spouse Abuse - diagnosis
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:Domestic Violence poses a significant health risk for the woman and her baby. We wished to determine the acceptability of routine questioning for domestic violence in the maternity hospital setting. A non-anonymised questionnaire was completed by 481 women attending for booking antenatal appointment in a maternity hospital antenatal clinic. The doctor asked four questions regarding experience of partner abuse, The acceptability of these questions was determined. 468 (99%) patients found the questions acceptable and said it would be helpful to ask all patients. Sixty-one (12.9%) women gave a history of at least one form of partner abuse. We concluded that routine enquiry about domestic violence during hospital antenatal visits is acceptable to women and perceived by them to be worthwhile.
ISSN:0332-3102