Social Violence & Patients For an emergency room doctor or nurse, it can be very frustrating to save the life of a patient, only to have them show back up a month later, especially when the injury is due to social violence.Social violence comes in many forms, however the one we are most familiar with is domestic violence against women. Every 9 seconds a woman is beaten, and this is totally unacceptable. Emergency Rooms & Domestic Violence When a patient comes in to the emergency department with an injury, most states now have laws in place that require you to ask the patient if anyone is harming them, or if they feel they are in danger. This should be done in a particular manner, as the abuser is often the one that accompanies the patient to the hospital. If the patient has someone with them, ask for some privacy and question the patient alone. It's easy to observe reactions of the patients that feel in danger, just handle thesituation carefully so that things are not made worse for the patient. Assuring the patient that security is close by can offer some peace of mind. Never leave a patient alone with the possible abuser under any circumstances. There are often code words or phrases that alert other staff members to call police in a situation that the patient's abuser is with them. Related: 5 Hairstyles That Will Keep Your Hair Out Of Your Face Recognizing Abused Patients Do you know what to look for with an abused patient? There are obvious signs, however there are also signs that may not be quite so noticeable. -
A patient that is evasive about how their injury occurred. A patient that is repeatedly in the emergency room with injuries, and a variety of excuses. Patients that will not look you in the eye, but rather keep their head tucked should be questioned extensively. A patient that has old and healed injuries in multiples The patient's companion that does not want to leave them alone to speak with intake coordinator.
One very important fact to consider is that about 50% of victims display one of more of the signs of abuse. 50% do not show signs of abuse, they have mastered the art of concealing it.
A 49-year-old female arrived at the emergency room of a large hospital. The patient explained she served as a sitting judge and when she got home earlier in the evening, she forgot to remove her Judge robe, and tripped on the stairs, falling down a help flight of steps. The nurse doing the intake went through the routine questions of did anyone harm you, do you feel in danger, etc. According to the nurse, the questions were all routine, the idea of abuse never entered her mind, this appeared to be a very strong selfconfident woman, and a Judge as well, obviously familiar with laws. The patient's husband parked the car and joined her, concerned about his wife. She was treated for a sprained ankle, and received several stitches for a cut on her head. A couple weeks after this incident the nurse was called to her supervisor’soffice to find detectives wanting to speak with her. Sadly,the patient from that night had been killed by her husband. Police told hospital staff that apparently, the woman had been abused for a number of years, yet managed to conceal it. The nurse felt terrible that she did not suspect abuse, however detectives informed her that after years of abuse, even the woman's own familyhad just recently learned of the abuse she suffered, she hid it very well. This was a very tragic case, however holds avaluablelesson, to always cover the possible abuse screening for any and all injuries of every patient. Related: Latest Medical Breakthroughs
The Different Faces of Domestic Violence Take note, although it is more common, it is not always a female that is the victim of abuse, it can happen to men as well. For this reason, most hospitals now follow the same intake protocol for men, they can be victims as well. The new face of domestic violence is changing, and new trainings should enable this to be more easily recognizable. Speak up, and be a voice for those that don't. Related:
International Nurses Association
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