More than 40 percent of women have reported experiencing violence and 35 percent have experienced intimate partner violence, according to the report. Gregory J. Della Rocca, MD, reported at the AAOS Annual Meeting that orthopedic trauma surgeons often misunderstand these patients.
He received survey response from 153 active Orthopaedic Trauma Association members, 90 percent of which were male. The survey reported that:
• Respondents estimated IPV prevalence was 1 percent or less of their female patients, while estimating prevalence in their community to be higher.
• Nearly 50 percent of respondents said that IPV was “somewhat common,” affecting 5 percent of women.
• Respondents noted time constraints (40 percent), lack of knowledge on what to ask (60 percent) or what to do with an IPV victim (53 percent) and lack of knowledge about community resources available to victims (60 percent) as barriers that limit their ability to assess IPV.
• Twenty-three percent of respondents said they were uncomfortable asking patients if they had been abused.
• Only 23 percent of the respondents attended educational training sessions on IPV, while 8 percent had clinics with written guidelines for IPV detection or management.
• Forty-nine percent of respondents said they would like to receive training on IPV.
Read the AAOS Now report on intimate patient violence for orthopedic surgeons.
Read other coverage of AAOS:
– AAOS President Dr. Daniel Berry: 4 Thoughts on the Future
– AAOS Names New Leaders for 2011
– AAOS: Screen Knee Arthritis Patients for Depression
