Gender-based violence and mistreatment (and III). Practical guidelines for early detection and an integrated approach to emergency care

Salvador Sánchez L, Rivas Vilas M, Sánchez Ramón S

Emergency rooms are among the most accessible places available to battered women

seeking help, and large numbers of domestic violence cases are detected annually during

treatment in these facilities. Victims of abuse come to emergency rooms for a variety of

reasons and we must raise our awareness of the problem if cases are to be detected

early. Key aspects of emergency care of victims of gender-based violence are early

detection of cases in the course of taking a full medical history and the assessment of

threat to the patient’s life before discharge. A directed interview should be undertaken if

there is any suspicion of physical abuse, and the caregiver should know the protocol for

action in such cases. The patient should be informed of resources that are available and

what procedures to follow in order to carry out whatever decision she takes.

Rivas Vilas M, Salvador Sánchez L, Sánchez Ramón S