Domestic violence--the medical community's legal duty

During the last decade, domestic violence has been identified as one of the major causes of emergency room visits by women. As many as 30% of the women who are seen by emergency room physicians exhibit at least one or more symptoms of physical abuse. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these cases go unreported due to a lack of awareness on the part of physicians and other health care providers regarding the law, actual reporting procedures, and potential liability. This article addresses both the medical community's legal liability and the results of a January 1992 survey conducted by the Jefferson County Medical Society and University of Louisville. This survey evaluated local physicians' awareness of the statutory requirements imposed on the medical community when treating suspected victims of domestic violence. According to this survey of 215 physicians, only 29% were aware that Kentucky law requires physicians and other health care practitioners to report to the Cabinet for Human Resources any suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an adult. Furthermore, the Jefferson County Medical Society survey reported that only 24% of the physicians polled had ever filed a domestic violence report on behalf of a patient. In an effort to compare the physicians' knowledge of other domestic violence issues, the physicians were also questioned regarding the issue of child abuse. Over 80% of physicians surveyed were aware of the Kentucky statute which requires a physician to report child abuse, and greater than 60% of those physicians surveyed had filed a complaint with a local or state agency. Domestic violence is now being publicly recognized as a social problem with far-reaching consequences.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)