Analysis of the Information in Mandatory Reporting in Victims of Gender Violence

Abstract

The healthcare professional plays a key role in the detection and subsequent channeling of a situation of violence to a judicial level for appropriate investigation. The mandatory reporting of gender violence has become a controversial issue among health care practitioners and victims. The objective of this study was to analyze the quality of the way in which injury reports on victims of gender violence is completed, through an analysis of the information they include, the readability and the degree to which the document can be understood. A retrospective study in a sample of 197 injury reports were performed from health services (primary care, hospital services and emergency services). We analyzed 22 variables related to the content, readability of the document, the victim’s identification data as well as identification of the doctor responsible for assistance, the moment of assistance and the characteristics of the injury. The most frequent deficiencies in the data are identification of the doctor responsible for medical attention, the date on which the aggression occurred, a description of the injuries and the judgment of compatibility between the cause of injury (according to the victim) and the actual injury they have. The injury reports do not conform to the legal requirements needed in a document of such extraordinary importance. Greater awareness in health professionals concerning the importance of the injury report as a medicolegal document is needed so that the correct information can be provided to the relevant judicial authority.Significance for public healthViolence against women is now widely recognized as a worldwide serious violation of human rights, with important consequences for women’s physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health. On many occasions, violence goes unreported. Emergency departments are often the first point of access to health services for women experiencing gender violence and the healthcare professional plays a key role in the diagnosis and treatment of a situation of violence that are not declared. The report issued when there is a situation of suspected gender violence, contains information that will be transcendent for knowing the circumstances that surround the violence that abuse causes. In this study we found serious deficiencies in the injury report so the information does not conform to the legal requirements needed in a document of such extraordinary importance. Efforts are needed to raise awareness among health professionals about the importance of providing the correct information.

Nurse Training in Gender-Based Violence Using Simulated Nursing Video Consultations during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

“…Violence against women, or gender-based violence (GBV), is a global serious public health problem [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Almost 18% of women and girls aged 15 to 49 years who have ever been in a relationship have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner in the previous 12 months [ 4 ].…”

The role of family doctors in the management of domestic violence cases – a qualitative study in Portugal

“…A Spanish retrospective study analyzing 197 clinical records related to DV revealed multiple errors: unreadable or missing information, namely victims’ personal data and doctors’ identification. In 7.1% of the cases, victims’ identification was not possible based on clinical records [ 36 ]. This unsatisfactory quality of clinical records compromises any potential future juridical process.…”

Risk Assessment in Victims of Gender Violence: Analyzing the Discrepancies Between Police and Forensic Reports

“…Some of the signs that can guide us about the possibility of unreported violence are the presence of injuries in hidden places, the characteristics of the injuries (stage of evolution, defense injuries), repetition in consultations, confusing or incoherent reports in the anamnesis about the mechanism of injury and attitudes of rejection or mistrust during the examination and non-specific and indirect indicators of depression, agitation or emotional lability (Blanco et al, 2004;Osuna et al, 2009;Rivadeneira, 2017). In this regard, it is important to highlight the importance of completing the injury report that allows the judicial investigation and the channeling of the victim towards the available health and social resources (Reynaldos, 2018). We must not forget that gender violence encompasses other types of abuse such as psychological, sexual or economic, and it is common for different manifestations to coexist.…”