Women's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health
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Womens Health Issues · Jul 2009
Care provided in visits coded for intimate partner violence in a national survey of emergency departments.
This article describes the health status of and care provided to patients in visits coded to intimate partner violence (IPV) victims in a national survey of emergency departments (EDs). Visits coded for IPV were defined by International Classification of Diseases, 8th edition-Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes. ⋯ Caution should be exercised when interpreting the study results because they reflect only coded IPV visits in the ED and these might be the most obvious IPV cases. The results signal the need for further studies to evaluate access to and the quality of care for IPV patients and to improve screening, documentation, coding, and management practices.
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Womens Health Issues · Mar 2009
Comparative StudyRacial and ethnic disparities in police-reported intimate partner violence and risk of hospitalization among women.
We sought to examine racial and ethnic disparities in police-reported intimate partner violence (IPV) and hospitalization rates and rate ratios among women with police-reported IPV relative to those without such reports. ⋯ Exposure to IPV as reported to police increases the rate of hospital utilization among Black and White women, but lowers the rate for Hispanic women. Screening for IPV in hospitals may identify a substantial number of IPV-exposed women. Primary and secondary prevention efforts related to IPV should be culturally informed and specific.
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Womens Health Issues · Jan 2009
Obstetrician-gynecologists' opinions about patient safety: costs and liability remain problems; are mandated reports a solution?
To elucidate the patient safety practices of obstetrician-gynecologists (OB/GYNs), the perceived barriers to patient safety improvements in obstetrics and gynecology, and OB/GYN's beliefs about mandated reporting. ⋯ It may be effective to aim at making patient safety activities more affordable to increase implementation. In addition, the effects of reporting and disclosure laws on physicians' concerns with liability should be examined more closely.
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Womens Health Issues · Nov 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialWho is identified by screening for intimate partner violence?
Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is prevalent and has significant physical and mental health consequences; accurate identification of IPV in health settings can be an important first step in appropriate response and referral to services for women. ⋯ Screening in health care settings may overidentify IPV and care needs to be taken in decisions regarding how abuse is identified. However, screening alone may underidentify specific characteristics of women, partners, and relationships that could enable more accurate identification of abuse and specific mental health concerns through clinical case finding.
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Womens Health Issues · Nov 2008
Comparative StudyRacial disparities in trauma exposure, psychiatric symptoms, and service use among female patients in Veterans Affairs primary care clinics.
We sought to compare female African-American (n = 84) and Caucasian (n = 99) veterans from primary care clinics at 4 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) on rates of trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, other psychiatric diagnoses, functional status, and use of VA services and disability benefits. ⋯ Among female veterans seen in VA primary care clinics, African-Americans and Caucasians do not differ dramatically with regard to the manifestation or severity of psychopathology, or in their use of relevant VA health care services and disability benefits. These data are important because women represent the fastest growing segment of the VA population after aging veterans. Further research is needed to replicate and extend these findings to ensure that female veterans' needs are adequately identified and met by VAMC providers.