Health
Family violence questions should be part of history
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 11, 2005
Physicians should assess a patient's risk for family violence as part of the routine social and medical history, according to a report issued by the American Medical Association's Council on Scientific Affairs at the Association's Annual Meeting last month.
"There's no question that screening carries with it substantial pay-off," said Robert McAfee, MD, a former AMA president who has long worked on this issue. "Violence in this country is on a downward swing, which we're pleased to see, but there's no indication that the violence that occurs in the family structure is anything but at an all-time high."
The report's recommendation stemmed from growing awareness that identification of this kind of abuse is important but that many cases are missed. Screening, however, remains controversial. The AMA has made similar recommendations before, but the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said last year that there was insufficient evidence to recommend routine screening.
The AMA also urged increased awareness of the risk of domestic violence to pregnant women.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/07/11/hlbf0711.htm.
