A new U.S. study indicates that using a computer-based screening program in emergency departments may encourage victims of domestic abuse to speak with nurses or doctors, something they are often hesitant to do. The computer program poses questions about various health risks, including several targeting domestic abuse. A positive response to any of those questions flags the woman’s chart and prompts a health practitioner to question her and look for signs of abuse. Conducted by the University of Chicago, the study used 800 women and discovered that women who completed the computer screening were more likely to talk to a doctor or nurse about domestic abuse as well as to disclose their own personal experiences and to accept help than the women who were not screened. These results indicate that the use of this kind of computer program may aid health practitioners in identifying and helping women who suffer from domestic abuse.
Compiled from: Computer System Could Alert Doctors to Domestic Abuse, Robert Preidt, ScoutNews, 25 May 2006.