Domestic Violence

In 1999, the Ohio State Medical Association  launched a two-year "Women's Health Initiative" project that provides educational materials to physicians on a variety of topics--osteoporosis, domestic violence, breast cancer, and heart disease.

The new handbook on domestic violence is similar to the one the OSMA produced several years ago, as part of its Family Violence campaign. The revised version of TrustTalk features an updated list of shelters and other resources, new legal information, and the AMA's clinical guidelines on domestic violence.

National statistics still show the number of domestic violence victims at over 4 million a year. One in four women are likely to be abused by a husband or partner during her lifetime. And these figures represent only those victims who were hurt so severely they required medical attention or who involved the police. The actual number of domestic violence victims is probably far greater than statistics reveal because many cases go unreported out of embarrassment, fear or both.

The OSMA's concern is that, after the initial attention paid to this subject in 1992, physicians may no longer be asking their patients routinely about abuse. That's why the association has updated and revised TrustTalk.

The new version serves several purposes. It does the following:

• Provides you with the most current clinical guidelines on diagnosing and treating abuse as outlined by the AMA and other sources.

• Updates you with regard to Ohio's laws on this subject.

• Provides you with an updated referral list of domestic violence shelters, as well as new resources, available in printed literature and on the Web.

• Gives you a tool to use in screening victims of domestic violence. A pocket-sized card, included with the book, shows the kind of history that suggests domestic violence behviro and physical clues, ways to communicate with domestic violence victims, assessing their safety, how to make referrals and how to document cases of domestic violence.

• Reminds you to routinely ask your patients if they are experiencing abuse from a partner of spouse.

Domestic Violence Tool

This domestic violence screening tool can be used to identify victims of domestic violence.

This tool was developed as part of a grant to the Ohio State Medical Association (OSMA) and the Ohio Public Health Association (OPHA). The two organizations were awarded one of 19 grants that was a part of the national Medicine and Public Health Initiative.

This OPHA/OSMA project involved representative from the following organizations: Ohio Association of Health Commissioners, Ohio Domestic Violence Network, Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Department of Human Services, OSU School of Medicine and Public Health, and the Columbus Medical Association Foundation.

The initiative was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and was awarded to the American Medical Association and the American Public Health Association to sponsor state level medicine and public health initiatives.

Thank for your efforts in addressing domestic violence. Thanks to the association representatives who participated in this project:

• OSMA--Suzanne Byrd

• OPHA--Carolyn Slack

DV screening tool