What barriers prevent health professionals screening women for domestic abuse? A literature review.

BACKGROUND

Domestic abuse is known to affect one in four women (although it is difficult to quantify) and has significant short- and long-term health implications. As people who often have regular contact with women in a variety of circumstances, including routine appointments, health professionals, particularly nurses and midwives, are in an ideal position to screen women for domestic abuse. However, it is recognised that there is a reluctance by some health professionals to undertake this important role.

AIM

To identify the potential barriers preventing health professionals from screening women for domestic abuse and to consider how these barriers could be overcome.

METHOD

A literature review of electronic databases using predetermined search terms and inclusion/exclusion criteria was undertaken. Seven studies were identified for review, consisting of five qualitative and two quantitative pieces of research.

CONCLUSION

Several barriers to screening by health professionals were identified, including lack of training, education, time, privacy, guidelines, policies and support from the employer, with the most prevalent of these being a lack of training and education. Further research is required, specifically within the UK, to provide more details about how these barriers might be addressed.