Intimate partner violence is not identified as a health problem by health care workers

Objective: To determine attitudes, opinions and knowledge of domestic violence among medical and nursing staff. Methods: We performed a descriptive study of prevalence using an ad hoc questionnaire. A random sample of 321 health professionals were asked about their opinions and knowledge of domestic violence and its relationship with health. Results: A total of 287 health professions completed the questionnaire. Most (87.1%) considered that intimate partner violence was an important problem, but not a health issue. Sixty percent of the health professionals believed that they could play an important role in detecting patients in this situation. Knowledge about the management of this problem was low. Nursing professionals were more sensitive to this issue and better prepared than medical staff. Conclusions: Healthcare personnel are sensitive to the problem of intimate partner violence but do not consider this issue to be a health problem. Education about this phenomenon and its management is required.