Project management: Prof. Dr. Beate Blättner
Collaborator: Anna Grundel (M.Sc. Public Health)
Funded by: Hessian Universities
Cooperations: Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs
Horst-Schmitt Clinics GmbH
Klinikum Darmstadt GmbH
Herz-Jesu Hospital Fulda gGmbH
Duration: 01.10.2010 - 30.09.2011
Violence can lead to injuries that require acute care. Emergency room staff therefore come into contact with people who have experienced violence and are confronted with their specific care requirements. The extent to which this occurs is largely unknown in Germany.
We were interested in how often episodes of violence are treated in emergency rooms and what the 12-month prevalence of patients is. Uncertainties of action on the part of nursing staff, doctors and physicians were to be determined.
The rate of identified acute treatments for consequences of violence ranged from 4.3 % to 18.5 %.
The routine questioning of patients after violence could not be realised consistently. The data obtained can therefore only be transferred to a twelve-month period for one of the three clinics.
Uncertainties of action could be identified and addressed during the training sessions.
Emergency rooms care for victims of violence. This is especially common in the care of surgical cases. At present, it seems difficult for emergency departments to carry out violence screening. Binding standards of care are lacking. The willingness to participate in trainings on how to deal with patients affected by violence is mainly given by nursing staff.