The effects of woman abuse on health care utilization and health status: a literature review.

ABSTRACT

PIP: This article presents a literature review on the effects of abuse on health care utilization and health status of women in the US. The abuse of women is defined as any physical abuse of a woman by an intimate male partner. Several studies have estimated that abuse of women remains prevalent in the US and often results in serious physical and mental injuries. Victims are more likely to have poor health, chronic pain problems, depression, suicide attempts, addiction, and pregnancy problems. This review indicates that abused women use a disproportionate amount of health care services including emergency rooms visits, primary care, and community mental health center visits. Despite its high prevalence and the disproportionate use of health care services it causes, woman abuse is rarely recognized by health care providers. Even when health care professionals detect woman abuse, they often provide inappropriate or harmful treatment. Thus, health providers need to educate themselves about women abuse, know community and legal sources to which to refer abused women, and develop protocols for identifying and caring for such women.