Physical and psychological forms of abuse manifest themselves in various ways within a healthcare context. Routinely, medical providers encounter different kinds of abuse that are either directed to them or their patients. Sexual discrimination, domestic violence, emotional abuse, and neglect are forms of abuse encountered in a medical context. Practitioners employ various skills and tools, including adherence to set ethical codes to ensure that their patients are protected against any form of abuse. While anyone is susceptible to abuse and discrimination, women are considered the most vulnerable.
Abuse is manifested either physically or psychologically within a hospital setting. Physical abuse encountered by medical providers involves those that cause injury to the body (Rosen et al., 2021). Domestic and sexual violence can cause body injuries that need emergency medical attention. Meanwhile, psychological abuse involves different forms of emotional attacks, affecting the normal behaviors of patients or clinicians involved. Racial, sexual, and neglect, among others, alter the normal behaviors of victims. Consequently, the victims find it difficult to interact with others since they are anxious and apprehensive (Tomfohr-Madsen et al., 2021). It is crucial for healthcare organizations to address the various forms of abuse for the clinicians’ and patients’ safety.
Medical providers adopt various tools and approaches to identify women who are physically and emotionally abused. Behavioral and cognitive therapies are the common approaches that help identify abuse victims. Through the therapies, the victims are helped in identifying their discriminative encounters and how they affect their social interactions (Tomfohr-Madsen et al., 2021). Meanwhile, the use of tools such as the Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) helps detect intimate partner violence (Ali et al., 2021). WAST involves a series of questions asked to patients, thus identifying the extent and effect of domestic violence. Clinicians should do their best when attending to victims of abuse.
Domestic violence, sexual abuse, and other forms of abuse encumber social interactions. Victims of abuse suffer from physical and psychological torture, making it difficult for them to trust those around them. In a healthcare setting, medical providers and their patients can be abused. Clinicians apply different approaches such as therapies and WAST to identify women who suffer from abuse. Therefore, clinicians must help victims of abuse recover from physical and psychological torture.
References
Ali, P., Allmark, P., Booth, A., McGarry, J., Woods, H. B., & Seedat, F. (2021). How accurate and effective are screening tools and subsequent interventions for intimate partner violence in non-high-risk settings (IPV)? A rapid review. Journal of Criminal Psychology, 11(4), 273–300. Web.
Rosen, N. G., Escobar, M. A. J., Brown, C. V., Moore, E. E., Sava, J. A., Peck, K., Ciesla, D. J., Sperry, J. L., Rizzo, A. G., Ley, E. J., Brasel, K. J., Kozar, R., Inaba, K., Hoffman-Rosenfeld, J. L., Notrica, D. M., Sayrs, L. W., Nickoles, T., Letton, R. W. J., Falcone, R. A. J., & Mitchell, I. C. (2021). Child physical abuse trauma evaluation and management: A Western Trauma Association and Pediatric Trauma Society critical decisions algorithm. Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, 90(4), 641–651. Web.
Tomfohr-Madsen, L. M., Racine, N., Giesbrecht, G. F., Lebel, C., & Madigan, S. (2021). Depression and anxiety in pregnancy during COVID-19: A rapid review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research, 300, 113912. Web.