Home      Login

Abstract: 

Physicians can and should play a vital role in addressing intimate partner violence, child abuse, and adverse childhood experiences. In this article, an ER doctor underlines what many medical studies have documented—that IPV, as well as the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) that many abuse survivors endured earlier in life, contribute to physical and mental health problems. The author provides an overview of strategies for digging beneath the surface when assessing a patient’s experiences with physical, emotional, sexual, child, and other forms of abuse. She exhorts medical providers to serve as advocates for their patients, by educating both patients and their fellow medical providers about the realities of DV and by engaging in compassionate action on behalf of abuse survivors.

Keywords: Health Care Professionals Role in Screening for Intimate Partner Violence, Child Abuse, Physical Abuse, Sexual Assault

Affiliations:  1: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.