Take Action
Five Simple Steps to Help Your Patients
These simple steps can make a big difference in the lives of your patients, many of which can be completed in less than an hour. These recommendations have been compiled from trainings conducted in hundreds of health settings across the country. The second set of “Next Steps” suggestions are more time consuming and typically require buy-in from health facility management.
Simple Recommended Steps:
- Put up materials for patients
- Posters up on exam room walls
- Safety cards in bathrooms
- Order a free copy of Screen to End Abuse to learn how to assess and respond to abuse. Encourage others in your setting to do so also.
- Give providers in your setting pocket assessment cards and pregnancy wheels to assist them in assessing for domestic violence.
- Call the National Hotline on Domestic Violence at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) to get a list of your local domestic violence service agencies and attach a resource list in intake and exam rooms in your facility.
- Commit to begin assessing for domestic violence at your health setting.
Next Steps:
- Enlist figures of authority in your setting to establish a domestic violence Domestic Violence and Health Care Protocols.
- Change chart forms to include prompts for domestic violence and sexual assault assessment.
- Create a system for monitoring the impact of your policy and procedure in your facility (typically done through chart review).
- Collaborate with a local domestic violence agency to hold a brown bag on domestic violence at your health setting. Call the National Hotline on DV 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) to identify local programs).
- Write an article about domestic violence and health for your facility newsletter or website. See a sample.
