Biomedical subjects

D Hotch

Publications and source records attributed to D Hotch.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1996

Policy and procedures for domestic violence patients in Canadian emergency departments: a national survey.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain information concerning the following: (1) the proportion of Canadian emergency departments with domestic violence intervention policies and procedures, (2) how hospitals identify and provide service to patients who have been abused, and (3) measures that have been problematic/helpful in implementing domestic violence protocols in emergency departments. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of a stratified random sample of 230 Canadian hospitals with emergency departments. PARTICIPANTS: Head nurses/nurse managers of the sample emergency departments in July and August 1994. MEASURES: Informational and attitudinal questionnaire items concerning domestic violence policies and procedures in the emergency department, including services provided to patients, staff roles, perceived support and effectiveness of the policy/procedures, how problem areas were addressed. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-eight hospitals (198 of 230) returned questionnaires (86%). Of the 198, 39% (78) indicated there were policies and procedures concerning domestic violence for the emergency department. Large teaching hospitals were no more likely than smaller community hospitals to have policies or protocols in place. Screening all patients for domestic violence was reported by 26 hospitals (13% of all respondents, 33% of the group of hospitals with domestic violence policies). Referral services were provided by 61 hospitals (31% of all respondents; 78% of the subgroup with policies). On-site counseling was reported by 46 hospitals (23% of all respondents; 59% of the subgroup with policies). CONCLUSIONS: The actual implementation of domestic violence policies and procedures is far from universal and may well be as low as 10% or 20%. Hospital and ED resources are needed to identify and support staff members who will implement educational activities and monitor compliance with guidelines for cases of domestic violence.

Canada↗

PubMed1996

Domestic violence against elderly women.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the experiences of four elderly abused women to better understand the influence of violence on their lives and the implications for intervention by family physicians. DESIGN: Qualitative case presentations of four elderly women who participated in a hospital-based domestic violence intervention program. SETTING: The Domestic Violence Program of Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre, an intervention program based in the emergency department. PARTICIPANTS: Four English-speaking working-class women ranging from 63 to 73 years of age who had experienced battering by male partners and who volunteered after expressing interest in follow-up service by the Domestic Violence Program. METHOD: Qualitative analysis of the oral narratives of the four participants. FINDINGS: Eleven themes emerging from the women's narratives were identified and illustrated with verbatim quotations: the marriage license as a hitting license, violence in the family of origin, powerlessness, women treated as objects, survival, barriers to leaving, memories linked to children's ages, community support, turning points, integrating and processing experiences of abuse, and witnessing and helping other women. CONCLUSIONS: The abuse these women endured greatly influenced their lives and health.

Aged↗

PubMed1994

Detecting domestic violence against women in the emergency department: a nursing triage model.

Objective To determine the disclosure rate for abuse in the setting of an emergency department. Design Cross-sectional survey of women assessed for triage in the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital. Methods Nursing triage was used to determine disclosure rates for abuse. Triage nurses routinely ask all women about abuse in their lives. During the study period (October 5 through 11, 1993) triage nurses were asked to record the answers to enquiries about abuse. In addition, triage nurses were asked to document the reasons why for some patients questions about abuse were not asked. Results Two hundred fifty-two women seen in the emergency department were questioned about abuse. Six percent of the women questioned in the study disclosed abuse. Triage for abuse was not done for 86 women because of the acuity of patient's condition, language barrier, presence of relatives, discomfort on the part of the nurse in asking the question, or the nurse being too busy. Conclusion A brief nursing triage question appears to be an efficient way of detecting abuse among women seen in the emergency department.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Microcomputer-assisted transmission of disaster data by cellular telephone.

Voice communication of information during disasters is often inadequate. In particular, simultaneous transmission by multiple callers on the same frequency can result in blocked transmissions and miscommunications. In contrast, nonvoice transmission of data requires less time than does voice communication of the same data, and may be more accurate. We conducted a pilot study to test the feasibility of a microcomputer assisted communication (MAC) network linking the disaster scene and the command hospital. The radio chosen to transmit data from the field disaster site to the command hospital was a cellular telephone connected to the microcomputer by modem. Typed communications between the microcomputer operators enabled dialogue between the disaster site and the hospitals. A computer program using commercially available software (Symphony by Lotus, Inc.) was written to allow for data entry, data transmission, and reports. Patient data, including age, sex, severity of injury, identification number, major injuries, and hospital destination were successfully transmitted from the disaster site command post to the command hospital. This pilot test demonstrated the potential applicability of MAC for facilitating transmission of patient data during a disaster.

Computer Communication Networks↗

PubMedDate not supplied

An emergency department-based domestic violence intervention program: findings after one year.

This article reports findings from the first year of operation of an emergency department-based domestic violence intervention program in one of Canada's major metropolitan areas. The program has established methods for identifying, treating, and following up battered women. Information on several key variables is now available for the group of 279 individuals who were the program's first patients. Two out of three (68%) of the patients seen were assaulted by their current spouse. Nine percent (9%) were abused by former spouses from whom they were separated or divorced. Twelve percent (12%) were assaulted by someone they were dating. Women in the program who were abused by a former or current spouse experienced severe violence, with 81% being kicked, bitten, or hit; 60% being pushed, grabbed, or shoved; 55% being threatened; and 30% being choked. Follow-up connection could only be made with 140 women (50%), highlighting the need for focused interventions during the emergency department visit. The findings confirm that women are being injured, often seriously, by those with whom they have close relationships. We present a program for addressing the needs of battered women seen in emergency departments.

British Columbia↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Mainframe computer use and residency cohort data.

This paper describes a computer based method that was developed to prepare a profile of the patient care experiences of a cohort in a three-year, university based family practice residency. Sample pages from the report produced by this method and a description of the computer program are presented. This method of presenting patient encounter information may be particularly useful for program-level evaluation and for monitoring resident training.

Chicago↗