Mäns våld mot kvinnor, hinder och svårigheter hos läkare på vårdcentral att fråga om våldsutsatthet – en intervjubaserad studie

Abstract

Men's violence against women, barriers and difficulties for doctors at health centers to ask about exposure to violence - an interview-based study Degree Project, Programme in Medicine, 2021 Institute of Medicine, Gothenburg, Sweden. Author: Ida Falk Introduction: Violence against women is a common global public health issue with major health problems. About one in four women in Sweden has been exposed to intimate partner violence during their lifetime. The health care system has a great responsibility in identifying these women and offering supportive care. Few studies have been conducted in Sweden that elucidate barriers in health care system to identify and help abused women. Aim: To investigate difficulties in identifying women exposed to intimate partner violence by elucidate barriers and attitudes to raising the issue about violence at general practitioners at health centers in Sweden. Methods: Interviews with nine primary care physicians, all working at health centers were conducted. Qualitative content analysis was used. Results: Two themes emerged from the narratives. “General practitioners at health centers are limited in asking questions about violence, which is expressed through barriers at various levels to bringing them up” and “Questions about violence are asked to a small extent and on indication where thoughts of introducing routine questions contain a duality of both positive and negative ideas”. Barriers consisted of feelings in the form of anxiety and fear which could be present at the doctor or arise in the patient meeting. Lack of knowledge and time was also identified. Routine questions about intimate partner violence would be good as it emerges more if we ask but would be difficult to implement in the primary care settings today. Conclusions: Questions about intimate partner violence are important to raise in primary care and are done to a small extent by general practitioners today where increased knowledge and structure are in demand.