Recognising and responding to domestic and family violence in general practice

Abstract

Background<br/ >Domestic and family violence (DFV) is often difficult to recognise despite its high prevalence in the community. General practitioners require specialised skills to elicit a history of DFV, remain aware of the complex patterns of DFV, respond to potential risk and maintain engagement as part of a team involved in ongoing care.<br/ ><br/ >Objective<br/ >The aim of this article is to outline the principles of recognising, responding, referring, recording and reflecting on care for those who may be experiencing DFV.<br/ ><br/ >Discussion<br/ >GPs have unique opportunities to identify, assess and respond to DFV because of the trusting therapeutic relationships they develop with patients. Managing DFV requires a safe place to disclose, skilled risk assessment, careful documentation, safety planning and ongoing therapeutic processes that soothe, validate, empower and connect to wider social supports. Trauma-informed general practice is a key element of integrated systems responses to DFV in our community.