Screening women for domestic violence is not justified

Implementation of screening programmes for domestic violence in healthcare settings is not justified by current evidence, say Ramsay and colleagues (p 314). In their systematic review of quantitative studies on screening for domestic violence they found that although many women approve of screening, most doctors do not. Screening increased the identification of domestic violence, but little evidence exists on whether the intervention improves outcomes. The authors emphasise that these conclusions should not be interpreted as denying that domestic violence is an important issue for healthcare providers.

(Credit: JIM VARNEY/SPL)

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Relevant Article

Should health professionals screen women for domestic violence? Systematic review

Jean Ramsay, Jo Richardson, Yvonne H Carter, Leslie L Davidson, and Gene Feder
BMJ 2002 325: 314. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]