Screen all your patients, female as well as male, young and old alike. Gentle but direct questioning is critical to accurate identification of abused patients. Refrain from statements which blame the victum or imply fault. Interviews must be conducted in private, away from the patient's associates and family. Through, well documented medical records are essential.
Precision counts in court.
Intervention and Referral Recognize that many women minimize the danger of their situtation. Always consider the patient's saftey first. Medical personnel need to explain that without intervention, the abuse will not only continue but escalate. I have, however, added some comments from my own clinical perspective and rearrainged the order and diction of some of the Alliance material. The intellectual content is from the hard work of the Alliance, to whom all the people of Alabama owe thanks.