Family doctors provide valuable support to victims of family violence

AMA President, Professor Brian Owler, said today that the AMA and the medical profession are committed to supporting the victims of family violence, and will work with governments, authorities, and advocates to overcome this scourge in the Australian community.

Professor Owler said that family doctors are uniquely placed to provide support for victims of family violence, and the AMA is providing more resources to help GPs fulfil this important role.

“Doctors have a key role to play in the early detection, intervention, and treatment of patients who have experienced family violence,” Professor Owler said.

“All women have the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, but the disturbing reality is that too many women in Australia experience some form of physical or sexual violence in their lifetimes.

“This is unacceptable for a sophisticated nation like Australia.

“The health effects of family violence in both the immediate victims and their families are devastating.

“Family violence affects people of all genders, sexualities, ages, socio-economic backgrounds, and cultures.

“But it is clear that the overwhelming majority of people who experience such violence are women.

“The most prevalent effect is on mental health, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, suicidal, ideation, and substance abuse.

“There are also serious physical health effects including injury, somatic disorders, chronic disorders and chronic pain, gastro-intestinal disorders, gynaecological problems, and increased risk of sexually transmitted infections.

“Health care providers may see more results of violence in their patient contacts than law enforcement agencies.

“Women experiencing domestic violence will tell GPs more often than any other professional group.

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“Responding effectively to family violence requires knowledge of the physical and emotional consequences of the violence, an understanding of appropriate and inappropriate responses, and having good networks with local family violence services.”

The AMA has produced an important resource - Supporting Patients Experiencing Family Violence: A Resource for Medical Practitioners - to assist doctors to provide better support for victims of family violence.

The toolkit, produced in collaboration with the Law Council of Australia, provides information about specialist support services including health, mental health, drug and alcohol, legal, family support, and child protection services.

Supporting Patients Experiencing Family Violence: A Resource for Medical Practitioners is available at https://ama.com.au/article/ama-family-violence-resource

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As part of Family Doctor Week 2015, the AMA has produced a number of videos highlighting the important contribution family doctors make to the health of the nation, including:

·         General Practice: More a Passion than a Job

·         Prevention and Care throughout Life

·         Plan for Pharmacists in General Practice

All the videos can be downloaded from the AMA Family Doctor Week website at https://ama.com.au/family-doctor-week-2015

AMA Family Doctor Week is proudly sponsored by the Australian Government Department of Social Services, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Cutcher & Neale, and AMEX.

24 July 2015

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                            Odette Visser                      02 6270 5412 / 0427 209 753

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