Development of an evidence-based domestic violence guideline: Supporting perinatal women-centred care in Japan

• Published in: Midwifery 2009-02, Vol.25 (1), p.72-78
• Main Authors: Horiuchi, Shigeko, Yaju, Yukari, Kataoka, Yaeko, Grace Eto, Hiromi, Matsumoto, Naoko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; At risk; Battered Women - education; Clinical guidelines; Domestic violence; Evidence-based guidelines; Evidence-Based Medicine - organization & administration; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Planning Guidelines; Health Promotion - organization & administration; Humans; Japan; Nursing; Nursing Research - organization & administration; Patient centredness; Patient Education as Topic - organization & administration; Patient-Centered Care - organization & administration; Perinatal care; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Pregnancy; Professional-Patient Relations; Social Support; Spouse Abuse - prevention & control; Spouse Abuse - psychology; Women-centred perinatal care
• ISSN: 0266-6138; 1532-3099
• DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2007.01.012

to develop an evidenced-based, women-centred care clinical guideline designed to assist midwives and other health-care providers in Japanese hospitals, clinics and midwifery offices, in identifying and supporting potential or actual perinatal victims of domestic violence. systematic review and critical appraisal of extant research; structured assessment of clinical guideline development. systematic and comprehensive literature search. Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) was used to assess the guideline development for purposes of assuring methodological quality. electronic searches of medical and nursing databases between February and December 2003 retrieved 2392 articles. Selected as evidence were 157 articles yielding 28 recommendations aligned to clinical assessment questions. using expert consensus and external reviews, recommendations were generated that provided the at-risk perinatal group with the best possible practice available to prevent further harm. the evidenced-based clinical guideline fosters a supportive environment for educating health-care providers on domestic violence, and to improve clinic access for at-risk perinatal women. Information on domestic violence and a negotiated midwife–client safety plan can be initiated for potential or actual victims of domestic violence, and is achieved through understanding the risks of the woman and her fetus or baby, while respecting the woman's intention.