From the Toronto based Globe and Mail: A recently released study shows how computer screening of patients dramatically increased the ability of medical personnel to uncover domestic violence situations.
So the findings of this new study are intriguing and encouraging. The researchers, led by Farah Ahmad, randomly divided patients at a family practice unit at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
Half received typical care and half were directed first to a computer survey, which asked them a wide range of questions about mental health, addiction and family violence. The survey took, on average, seven minutes to complete. The study involved 283 women over 18 years of age in a current or recent intimate relationship.
Computer screening doubled the opportunities for detecting and discussing domestic violence in those at increased risk for or actually suffering from it: 18 per cent in the group who used the touch screen, compared with 9 per cent in the control group. And I suspect the 9-per-cent pick-up rate was higher than average, because the clinic where the study was conducted is a teaching centre.
