Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Dedication
- one Introduction
- two Domestic violence and the medical profession
- Part One Domestic violence patients speak out
- Part Two Clinicians’ knowledge and clinical experience of domestic violence
- Part Three Clinicians’ training and inter-agency collaboration
- fourteen Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Appendix 1 Details of research participants
- Appendix 2 Useful information and contacts
nine - Treatment options
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 July 2022
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Dedication
- one Introduction
- two Domestic violence and the medical profession
- Part One Domestic violence patients speak out
- Part Two Clinicians’ knowledge and clinical experience of domestic violence
- Part Three Clinicians’ training and inter-agency collaboration
- fourteen Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Appendix 1 Details of research participants
- Appendix 2 Useful information and contacts
Summary
The stage one participants’ experiences of treatment were examined in Chapter Four. This identified a number of treatments which they had been offered, and examined how they perceived such treatment in relation to their wider health interactions. This chapter will examine the treatment options which the participating healthcare professionals identified as central to their own clinical practice.
All of the stage two participants were asked prior to their participation in this qualitative study to answer questions on the domestic violence and health questionnaire in relation to how they treat domestic violence patients (Abbott and Williamson, 1999). The first of these questions asked what the respondents usually did in their professional capacity when dealing with women ‘who had experienced cruelty or violence from a male partner’. From a number of given options, a small percentage (2.4%) believed they had ‘no role’ to play, 13.4% claimed they would treat the physical injury, 93.9% suggested they would provide information on available services, and 49.1% believed they should refer patients onto other agencies. These responses were interesting, particularly when considered in relation to the subsequent questions relating to whether the respondents had adequate knowledge about services and local provision. Eight-six per cent of the respondents did not believe they had adequate knowledge of domestic violence. This is despite the fact that 93.9% suggested they would provide information on available services. Furthermore, 84.3% had never been involved in inter-agency work on domestic violence. The issue of inter-agency collaboration will be examined in Chapter Twelve; however, this statistic seriously undermines the ability of almost half of respondents (49.1%) to refer women to other agencies. In light of these responses, the qualitative data on which this book is based asked a series of questions designed to investigate the preferred treatment options, and perceptions of these alternatives by the stage two participants.
General responses
“Sometimes of course there's physical treatment involved, attending to wounds, but not very often and then the third category are people who’ve been sent by the police or solicitors to get a record made and they just come in and say ‘I’m alright but I just want you to write down that I’ve got these bruises or whatever, as a record’, and out of all those categories it's the first one which is supportive counselling which I suppose I do the most of.” (Dr Gabb)
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Domestic Violence and HealthThe Response of the Medical Profession, pp. 117 - 132Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2000