Abstract
The study explored the perceptions and practices of general practitioners (GPs) regarding the identification and management of victimized patients in primary care settings. A qualitative study was conducted employing three focus groups and a total of 18 GPs drawn from Greek General Practice Networks. Participants discussed issues of identification, assessment, recording, and referral of victimized patients at their clinical setting. Important points raised were the role ambiguity in the management of the victimized patients, the lack of confidence in diagnosing the problem, the discomfort in discussing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) with their patients, the mistrust in the referral services, and the confidentiality issues affecting their recording practices. This preliminary information is expected to guide large-scale surveys and future interventions.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
References
Alpert, E. J. (1995). Making a place for teaching about family violence in medical school. Academic Medicine, 70, 974–978.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101.
Cohn, F., Salmon, M. E., & Stobo, J. D. (2002). Confronting chronic neglect: The education and training of health professionals on family violence. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Elliott, L., Nerney, M., Jones, T., & Friedman, P. D. (2002). Barriers to screening for domestic violence. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 17, 112–116.
Garcia-Moreno, C. (2002). Dilemmas and opportunities for an appropriate healthservice response to violence against women. Lancet, 359, 1509–1514.
Gerber, M. R., Leiter, K. S., Hermann, R. C., & Bor, D. H. (2005). How and why community hospital clinicians document a positive screen for intimate partner violence: a cross-sectional study. BMC Family Practice, 6, 48.
Gerbert, B., Abercrombie, P., Caspers, N., Love, C., & Bronstone, A. (1999a). How health care providers help battered women: the survivor’s perspective. Women & Health, 29, 115–135.
Gerbert, B., Caspers, N., Bronstone, A., Moe, J., & Abercrombie, P. (1999b). A qualitative analysis of how physicians with expertise in domestic violence approach the identification of victims. Annals of Internal Medicine, 131, 578–584.
Gremillion, D. H., & Kanof, E. P. (1996). Overcoming barriers to physician involvement in identifying and referring victims of domestic violence. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 27(6), 769–73.
Gutmanis, I., Beynon, C., Tutty, L., Wathen, C. N., & MacMillan, H. L. (2007). Factors influencing identification of and response to intimate partner violence: a survey of physicians and nurses. BMC Public Health, 7, 12.
Hamberger, L. K., Ambuel, B., & Guse, C. E. (2007). Racial differences in battered women’s experiences and preferences for treatment from physicians. Journal of Family Violence, 22, 259–265.
Hamilton, B., & Coates, J. (1993). Perceived helpfulness and use of professional services by abused women. Journal of Family Violence, 8(4), 313–331.
Harwell, T. S., Casten, R. J., Armstrong, K. A., Dempsey, S., Coons, H. L., & Davis, M. (1998). Results of a domestic violence training program offered to the staff of urban community health centers. Evaluation Committee of the Philadelphia Family Violence Working Group. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 15, 235–242.
Isaac, N. E., & Enos, V. P. (2001). Documenting domestic violence: How health care providers can help victims, National Institute of Justice Research in Brief. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.
Janssen, P., Dascal-Weichhendler, H., & McGregor, M. (2006). Assessment for intimate partner violence: where do we stand? The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 19(4), 413–415.
Kyriopoulos, J. (1997). Equity or freedom in the market of health care services: The real political dilemma and the United Health Carrier (in Greek). In J. Kyriopoulos & A. Sissouras (Eds.), United health FOREAs: Necessity or delusion? Athens: Themelio Publications.
Lapidus, G., Cooke, M., Gelven, E., Sherman, K., Duncan, M., & Banco, L. A. (2002). Statewide survey of domestic violence screening behaviors among pediatricians and family physicians. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 156, 332–336.
Leontidou, L. (1993). Informal strategies of unemployment relief in Greek cities: the relevance of family, locality and housing. European Planning Studies, 1(1), 43–68.
Lionis, C., Tziraki, M., Bardis, V., & Philalithis, A. (2004). Seeking quality improvement in primary care in Crete, Greece: the first actions. Croatian Medical Journal, 45, 509–603.
Lionis, C., Symvoulakis, E. K., Markaki, A., Vardavas, C., Papadakaki, M., Daniilidou, N., et al. (2009). Integrated primary health care in Greece, a missing issue in the current health policy agenda: a systematic review. International Journal of Integrated Care, 9, 1–14.
McNutt, L. A., Carlson, B. E., Gagen, D., & Winterbauer, N. (1999). Reproductive violence screening in primary care: perspectives and experiences of patients and battered women. Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association, 54, 85–90.
Mehta, P., & Dandrea, L. A. (1988). The battered woman [review]. American Family Physician, 37, 193–199.
Miller, D., & Jaye, C. (2007). GPs’ perception of their role in the identification and management of family violence. Family Practice, 24, 95–101.
Minsky-Kelly, D., Hamberger, L. K., Pape, D. A., & Wolff, M. (2005). We’ve had training, now what? Qualitative analysis of barriers to domestic violence screening and referral in a health care setting. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20(10), 1288–1309.
Muehlenhard, C. L., & Kimes, L. A. (1999). The social construction of violence: the case of sexual and domestic violence. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 3, 234–245.
Nicolaidis, C., Curry, M. A., & Gerrity, M. (2005). Health care workers’ expectations and empathy toward patients in abusive relationships. Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, 18, 159–165.
Oikonomidou, E., Anastasiou, F., Dervas, D., Patri, F., Karaklidis, D., Moustakas, P., et al. (2010). Rural primary care in Greece: working under limited resources. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 22(4), 333–337.
Papadakaki, M., Prokopiadou, D., Petridou, E., Kogevinas, M., & Lionis, C. (2012). Defining physicians’ readiness to screen and manage intimate partner violence in Greek primary care settings. Evaluation & the Health Professions, 35(2), 199–220.
Papadakaki, M., Tzamalouka, G. S., Chatzifotiou, S., & Chliaoutakis, J. (2009). Seeking for risk factors of intimate partner violence (IPV) in a Greek national sample. The role of self-esteem. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24(5), 732–750.
Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (2nd ed.). Newbury Park: Sage.
Petridou, E., Browne, A., Lichter, E., Dedoukou, X., Alexe, D., & Dessypris, N. (2002). What distinguishes unintentional injuries from injuries due to intimate partner violence: a study in Greek ambulatory care settings. Injury Prevention, 8, 197–201.
Ramsay, J., Richardson, J., Carter, Y. H., Davidson, L. L., & Feder, G. (2002). Should health professionals screen women for domestic violence? Systematic review. British Medical Journal, 325, 314.
Roelens, K., Verstraelen, H., Egmond, K., & Temmerman, M. (2006). A knowledge, attitudes, and practice survey among obstetrician-gynaecologists on intimate partner violence in Flanders, Belgium. BMC Public Health, 6, 238.
Short, L. M., Alpert, E., Harris, J. M., & Surprenant, Z. J. (2006). A tool for measuring physician readiness to manage intimate partner violence. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 30, 173–180.
Strauss, A. L., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Newbury Park: Sage Publications.
Souliotis, K., & Lionis, C. (2005). Creating an integrated health care system in Greece: a primary care perspective. Journal of Medical Systems, 29(2), 187–196.
Sugg, N. K., & Inui, T. (1992). Primary care physicians’ response to domestic violence. JAMA, 267, 3157–3160.
Taft, A., Broom, D. A., & Legge, D. (2004). General practitioner management of intimate partner abuse and the whole family: qualitative study. BMJ, 328, 595–596.
Tower, L. E. (2006). Barriers in screening women for domestic violence: a survey of social workers, family practitioners, and obstetrician-gynecologists. Journal of Family Violence, 21, 245–257.
Tzamalouka, G. S., Parlalis, S. K., Soultatou, P., Papadakaki, M., & Chliaoutakis, J. E. (2007). Applying the concept of lifestyle in association with aggression and violence in Greek cohabitating couples. Aggressive Behavior, 33, 73–85.
Valentine, N. B., Ortiz, J. P., Tandon, A., Kawabata, K., Evans, D. B., Christopher, J. L., et al. (2003). Patient experiences with health services: Population surveys from 16 OECD countries. In C. J. L. Murray & D. B. Evans (Eds.), Health systems performance assessment: Debates, methods and empiricism (pp. 643–652). Geneva: World Health Organization.
Waalen, J., Goodwin, M., Spitz, A., Petersen, R., & Saltzman, L. (2000). Screening for intimate partner violence by health care providers. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 19, 230–237.
Weinreb, L., Fletcher, K., Candib, L., & Bacigalupe, G. (2007). Physicians’ perceptions of adult patients’ history of child abuse in family medicine settings. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 20(4), 417–419.
Wenzel, J. D., Monson, C. L., & Johnson, S. M. (2004). Domestic violence: prevalence and detection in a family medicine residency clinic. JAOA, 104(6), 233–239.
Zink, T., Regan, S., Goldenbar, L., Pabst, S., & Rinto, B. (2004). Intimate partner violence: what are physicians’ perceptions? The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, 17, 332–340.
Acknowledgments
The project received a grant by the Research Committee of the University of Crete in Greece.
The authors would like to express their gratitude to the participants of the focus group discussions for sharing their valuable experiences and views.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Papadakaki, M., Petridou, E., Petelos, E. et al. Management of Victimized Patients in Greek Primary Care Settings: A Pilot Study. J Fam Viol 29, 371–379 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-014-9596-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-014-9596-3
Keywords
- Intimate partner violence
- IPV
- Primary care
- General practitioners
- Abuse
- Perceptions
- Practice