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Domestic Violence Assessment Tool

This document provides guidance for healthcare providers on assessing and responding to domestic violence. It includes questions to ask patients, supportive responses to provide, safety planning considerations, and documentation guidelines. Warning signs of abuse that may present in various physical, behavioral, reproductive, psychological, and psychiatric areas are also listed.

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Lallaine Joyce Fragata
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20 views2 pages

Domestic Violence Assessment Tool

This document provides guidance for healthcare providers on assessing and responding to domestic violence. It includes questions to ask patients, supportive responses to provide, safety planning considerations, and documentation guidelines. Warning signs of abuse that may present in various physical, behavioral, reproductive, psychological, and psychiatric areas are also listed.

Uploaded by

Lallaine Joyce Fragata
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Domestic Violence Assessment Tool

What health-care providers should do if they suspect abuse.


This tool can be used as part of the clinical assessment of the patient.

Ask…
Do you feel safe at home?
Are you being hurt by your partner or spouse?
The patient may not talk about abuse at this visit, but they might come back for support. Just asking about abuse sends an important
message.

Provide Supportive Responses


After a disclosure of abuse, health-care providers should provide a supportive response.
Listen to and validate their concerns
Provide clear messages:
No one deserves to be abused, no matter what they have done.
Many people, primarily women, experience violence; they are not alone.
Help and support is available from health-care providers and many community agencies.
Respect the patient’s choices. Leaving abuse is a process, not an event.

Document
The health record should include the following:
• Safety check – Assess for safety and immediate danger
Do they feel safe going home?
Do they believe abuser is capable of harming them or their children?
Are there weapons in home?
Is there a history of abuse?
• Record what the patient describes
Record direct observations (state fact only, no subjective interpretations)
Document referrals and information provided
Use non-biased language such as “chooses”, “declines” or “patient states” rather than stating “patient is not
compliant” or “patient refuses shelter”

Mandatory Reporting Guidelines


All professionals have a duty to report suspected child abuse or neglect. Reporting abuse is not a violation of patient confidentiality.
A suspicion may include domestic violence cases where partner violence is occurring between parents or partners and children are in the
home. Exposure to adult conflict is considered reportable to CAS. For more details see Child Welfare Policy available on the Intranet.
Document all calls to CAS in the patient’s chart, making note of the date, time and CAS worker’s name.
Children’s Aid Society (CAS): 416-924-4646 Jewish Family and Child Services: 416-638-7800
Catholic CAS: 416-395-1500 Native Family and Child Services: 416-969-8510

Safety Plan and Resources available to Mount Sinai staff:


Contact your department social worker ext. _____
Domestic Violence intranet page: http://goo.gl/61xCDp
MSH intranet Violence Against Women Awareness Committee site
Social Work Department ext. 5201
Human Rights & Health Equity Office ext. 7519
Women’s College Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Centre: 416-323-6400
Assaulted Women’s Help Line: 416-863-0511
*Health Cares About Women Abuse RADAR 2008
*Source: RNAO Best Practice Guideline (available on intranet at VAWAC)

Violence against women


is a health-care issue
201507683
Warning Signs of Abuse that May Present in Health Care
Abused patients may present anywhere in health care. Health-care providers should routinely
ask patients if they are experiencing violence and be prepared to respond skillfully and comfortably
to disclosures.

Behaviour Reproductive
• Exhibits poor eye contact, emotional distress or flatness • STI
• Sticks close to spouse • Miscarriage
• Allows partner to do all the talking • Chronic pelvic pain
• Is never left alone by partner • Chronic vaginal or UTI
• Makes frequent visits to Emergency Department • Trauma to the vagina or anus
• Delay in seeking medical care • FGM
• Does not provide explanation or provides inconsistent • Vaginismus
explanation of injuries • Early hysterectomy
• Avoids coming to appointments • Sexually addictive behaviour
• Comes late in the third trimester • Infertility
• Avoids talking with the staff • Low birth weight
• Reveals very little about themselves • Unwanted pregnancy
• Low pregnancy weight
Physical
• Broken bones, bruises, burns Psychological
• Abrasions, cuts and stab wounds
• Low self esteem
• Bites, lacerations
• Self-abusive behaviour
• Concussion, skull fractures
• Difficulty in maintaining health relationships
• Sprains
• Dysfunctional parenting
• Perforated ear drums
• Acute anxiety
• Chipped or lost teeth
• Frequent crying
• Choking (incomplete strangulation), LOC
• Lack of appropriate boundaries
• Shaken adult syndrome (blurred vision, vomiting, confusion)
• Sexual dysfunction
• Chronic MSK pain
• Passivity
• Hypertension
• Evasiveness
• Palpitations
• Pronounced fear responses
• Detached retina
• Hypervigilance
• Voice box injuries
• Chronic stress
• Hyperventilation
• Insomnia
• Substance abuse problems
• Uncontrolled anger responses
• Loss of hair
• Sleep disturbance
• Internal injuries
• Flashbacks
• Chronic GI pain
• Phobias
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Memory loss
• Loss of concentration and productivity
Psychiatric • Self-degradation
• Depression, anxiety • Uncommunicativeness
• Suicidal ideation
• Dissociation
• Eating Disorders
• PTSD
• Adjustment Disorder
• OCD
• Somatic disorders
• Substance abuse

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