Domestic violence can have bad effects on physical and psychological health.
Yet persons who are abused often do not tell their doctors about it because they are afraid, embarrassed, do not think of it as a health problem, or do not think doctors would be able to help them. Also, many doctors do not ask about this problem because they forget, find the subject is uncomfortable, or believe that there is little they can do to help an abused patient. The researchers wanted to find out how doctors who are experts in taking care of domestic violence patients approach the subject with their own patients. Forty-five doctors in San Francisco who had frequently identified and cared for abused patients. Two of the researchers moderated each group by using a guidebook that included a standard set of questions about talking to patients about domestic violence.