The High Authority of Health (HAS) “calls on doctors to fully address the subject of domestic violence”.
- The HAS (High Authority of Health) has produced a new document calling on “doctors to fully address the subject of domestic violence”.
- In 2022 as in 2023, few women report having been asked by their general practitioner about their relationship with their partner (14%), and even fewer report having been directly questioned about possible domestic violence (3%).
- Among the respondents, one in five women reported suffering or having suffered violence (physical, verbal, psychological, sexual, etc.) from their partner.
The HAS (High Authority of Health) produced a new document calling “doctors to fully address the subject of domestic violence”.
In his publication entitled “Identification of women victims of violence within the couple” and published in 2019, the HAS recommended primary care healthcare professionals to ask all their patients if they were experiencing or had experienced violence in the past, even in the absence of warning signs.
A few years later, the High Authority of Health carried out a study to monitor the appropriation of this recommendation by general practitioners. “The results underline that patients are very favorable to this systematic questioning, which remains too little implemented today”summarize the experts in the preamble.
To monitor the evolution of the practices of general practitioners, the HAS has set up a barometer in conjunction with the BVA institute: nearly 1,000 women were interviewed in October 2022 and October 2023 to find out whether the subject had been discussed in consultation by their doctor.
Domestic violence: “a stagnation of practices” among doctors
The first two measurements of this barometer highlight a stagnation of practices. In 2022 as in 2023, few women report having been questioned by their general practitioner about their relationship with their partner (14%), and even fewer report having been directly questioned about possible domestic violence (3%). Among the respondents, one in five women reported suffering or having suffered violence (physical, verbal, psychological, sexual, etc.) from their partner.
Contrary to the fears of certain professionals, 96% of the women questioned also consider that systematic questioning by the doctor is a good thing (48% a very good thing, 48% rather a good thing). Questioned on a battery of items, 9 out of 10 women even believe that addressing this subject in consultation is “important, legitimate and reassuring”.
Domestic violence: “HAS reaffirms its commitment alongside victims and doctors”
In view of these results, HAS reaffirms its commitment alongside health professionals and women in the fight against domestic violence. To this end, it makes several elements available to general practitioners in order to facilitate this dialogue. Besides the recommendations and associated practical sheetsHAS has thus designed a tool to help identify domestic violence. The health authority also offers two video formats: minute reco “Domestic violence: how to spot it?” and the replay of webinar “Domestic violence: talking about it to better spot it”.
“Most often, women do not spontaneously address the violence they experience. The physical and psychological consequences of this violence are then poorly dealt with,” recalls the health authority in conclusion.