Researchers say hospital radiologists can help detect domestic violence

Radiologists, who typically interact little with patients, can play a key role in identifying victims of abuse by detecting types of injuries that evoke domestic violence, researchers said Tuesday.

Victims of abuse, most often women, have more facial, skull and arm fractures than other patients, badociated with high rates of asthma, chronic pain and suicide attempts , reported a team from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Radiologists, who specialize in the interpretation of images such as X-rays, can detect signs of abuse, given that these victims undergo four times more emergency imaging exams than other patients, the researchers said. researchers.

Abuses can be physical, badual and psychological, they said.

"As radiologists, we have a wealth of information," said Dr. Elizabeth George, chief resident of the Brigham and Women's Hospital Radiology Department and researcher. report.

"There could be indications about the previous picture, and if you see a pattern, it might alert you to something else going on in this case, such as violence."

According to the World Health Organization, one in three women experiences physical or badual violence during their lifetime.

The Violence Policy Center, a research and advocacy group specializing in gun violence, said more than half of the women murdered in the United States last year had been killed by an old or current dating partner. .

Signs of abuse can easily miss hospital emergencies, George said.

The researchers also said that hospital records may not identify or report certain injuries as abusive

"Survivors need someone on the ground who knows what's going on," said Ruth Glenn, head of the Colorado-based National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

"This alone can plant the seed to find safety, the medical field is perfectly configured to do it."

Transforming the results into victim badistance will require a coordinated effort from radiologists, social workers, emergency room physicians and others, George told Reuters.

In the United States, more than 96% of intimate partner violence victims are women, and the highest rates are for black and Hispanic women, according to the report published in the United States. Radiology, a review of the Radiological Society of North America.