Women's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health
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Womens Health Issues · Jan 2003
Intimate partner violence and substance abuse among minority women receiving care from an inner-city emergency department.
A woman's drug and alcohol use has been found to increase her risk of experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). ⋯ Nearly one-half reported ever experiencing IPV, and over 18% reported IPV during the year before the interview. A higher proportion of abused women reported a history of regular crack, cocaine, or heroin use and visiting shooting galleries or crack houses. Participants who were physically abused by their partner during the past year (15%, n = 21) were more likely than nonabused women (85%, n = 122) to report higher scores on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) (4.9 vs. 2.4), a measure of alcohol-related problems, and the Drug Abuse Severity Test (DAST) (3.0 vs. 1.3), a measure of drug-related problems. Sexually abused women (6%, n = 9) were more likely than their counterparts (94%, n = 134) to have significantly higher AUDIT scores (6.4 vs. 2.5). The findings have implications for how the intersecting public health problems of IPV and substance abuse should be taken into consideration in research and patient care protocols in emergency departments.
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Womens Health Issues · Jul 2002
Trends in women's health services by type of physician seen: data from the 1985 and 1997-98 NAMCS.
As managed care enrollment has increased, controversy has arisen about the role of internists (IM), family physicians (FP), and obstetrician/gynecologists (ob/gyns) in the provision of women's health care. Efforts to improve training in women's health needs have also increased. Yet it is unclear how these trends have affected practice. ⋯ Specialty differences in the provision of women's health services continue, though the scope of care provided by IMs has broadened. Still, women are unlikely to obtain a full range of preventive services in a single nonillness visit. Ensuring adequate coordination among physicians providing primary care to women continues to be a critical concern.