Awareness, Knowledge, and Screening for IPV among Orthopedic Surgeons in Israel
2Pat Matthews Academic School of Nursing, Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, Israel
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is one of the most common forms of violence against women
There are no exact data on the extent of IPV in Israel, but the common assumption is that the number of women subjected to IPV is much higher than the number of cases reported to the police, since most women avoid filing a complaint for various reasons
Women who are subjected to physical violence and injured, most often sustain muscle and skeletal injuries. These injures require referral to an orthopedic surgeon. Skeletal injuries, often seen by orthopedic surgeons, are the second most common manifestation of IPV.
There are a lot of barriers which prevent physicians from screening IPV.
Methods:
100 physicians employed as orthopedic surgeons in Israel were sampled. Participants completed a questionnaire adapted from Della Rocca et al. (2013). The questionnaire was shortened to 31 items for the purposes of the present study. The questionnaire examined the following variables: screening for IPV, barriers to screening, and knowledge regarding IPV screening. Three content experts on violence against women discussed and chose the items most relevant to the orthopedic surgeons in Israel. Eight items – redundant items and items irrelevant to the Israeli legislation – were omitted.
Results:
Findings reveal positive attitudes towards screening female patients but a significant lack of knowledge. Arab orthopedic surgeons held slightly more negative attitudes towards screening for IPV and had a more prominent lack of knowledge regarding screening for IPV, compared to their Jewish counterparts. Nationality and feeling uncomfortable asking female patients about IPV predicted screening for IPV
Conclusion:
The importance of training orthopedic surgeons on the assessment and treatment of IPV cannot be overemphasized, especially among Arab orthopedic surgeons.