The role of GP’s in helping women experiencing domestic violence

Women experiencing domestic violence want their GPs to raise the issue with them, a new study by researchers at the University of Bristol has found. The research will be presented today [Thursday 7 July] at the 40th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Academic Primary Care , hosted this year by the University of Bristol's Academic Unit of Primary Health Care. A recent study among women seeking healthcare in UK primary care surgeries found six per cent to 23 per cent of women had experienced physical and sexual abuse from a partner or ex-partner in the last year. Women experiencing domestic violence are more likely to be in touch with health services than any other agency, yet doctors and nurses rarely ask about domestic violence, often failing to identify signs of domestic violence in their patients. The study by Alice Malpass (Research Fellow) and Professor Gene Feder from the Academic Unit of Primary Health Care, University of Bristol, in collaboration with the Nia Project, Nextlink and Domestic Violence Training Ltd, aimed to understand women's experience of disclosing domestic violence in primary care settings and the role of GPs in supporting women. Women who had been referred to a specialist domestic violence agency by a GP were interviewed by a survivor of domestic violence about their experiences. The study found that women wanted their GPs to ask about domestic violence, one women said "nobody ever asked me. Never. I've got bruises round my neck and so stressed out and never asked 'what's happening in your life'' or 'why have you got these bruises'?