Assessing for Domestic Violence Exposure in Primary Care Settings

Abstract

To evaluate the ability of medical students to apply domestic violence training in an early clinical experience, a cross-sectional survey was undertaken among 2nd-year medical students from the University of British Columbia during their rural family practice practicum. Participants recorded whether they assessed adult patients for exposure to domestic violence during routine office visits. Domestic violence was discussed in 11% of the 341 recorded patient encounters. All discussions involved female patients. Domestic violence was discussed in 27% of the one-on-one encounters with patients versus 3.6% of the encounters in which a preceptor was present. Barriers that prevented medical students from undertaking assessment and counseling included lack of mentoring and role modeling and a perceived lack of privacy and time available. Application of classroom knowledge in this challenging domain requires preceptorship by appropriately trained supervisors in the clinical setting.