National Health Collaborative on Violence and Abuse Webinars Now Available Online
Two webinars are now available at the National Health Collaborative on Violence and Abuse website:
- Child Sexual Abuse: Health Consequences and the Role of the Health Care Provider (May 23, 2012)
- Bullying: Health Consequences and the Role of the Health Care Provider (September 27, 2011)
In addition, The American Academy of Pediatrics, a member of the National Health Collaborative on Violence and Abuse, has launched a project to make the Medical Home experience more effective for children who have experienced abuse. As a part of that project, AAP is hosting a series of webinars on how to identify and respond to pediatric patients who have experienced abuse.
The first webinar, Beyond the First Exposure: The Physical, Mental, and Emotional Toll of Violence, was presented June 27, 2012 from 10:00 AM–11 AM (Central Time).
To see the full schedule of webinars, click here.
AAN Position Statement Guides Neurologists on Abused Patients
The AAN's "Position Statement on Abuse and Violence" was developed to help aid neurologists in screening patients for different types of abusive treatment from family or caretakers. The statement was published in the February 7, 2012, print issue of Neurology®.
The statement defines abuse and how its relationship to neurologic disease is significant: more than 90 percent of all injuries from "intimate partner violence" (IPV) occur to the head, face, or neck region, and can lead to traumatic brain injury, particularly over long periods of exposure. Also, people with neurologic disorders such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, or stroke may be at higher risk for abuse and neglect.
According to the National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1998), it is estimated that between 20 and 30 percent of women and 7.5 percent of men in the United States have been physically and/or sexually abused by an intimate partner at some point in their adult lives. Other types of maltreatment include child abuse, emotional abuse, elder abuse and neglect. Adults who have been victimized experience a 2.5 fold increase in health care utilization during their lives. Neurologists see patients who are risk for abuse, or have conditions which have directly or indirectly are associated with maltreatment.
The AAN position statement outlines 10 principles of intervention by the physician when meeting with patients, beginning with integrating questions about abuse into the medical history and routinely screening all patients for past and ongoing violence. Patients should be counseled and provided with resources to help address the abuse or neglect. Child abuse, elder abuse, and abuse of those who are disabled must be reported in all states. Spouse abuse must be reported in California, Colorado, Kentucky, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island.
Finally, the statement provides a series of helpful assessment questions and strategies that the physician can use when meeting with patients.