[Violence against women: visibility of the problem according to the health team]

Angelina Lettiere1, Ana Márcia Spanó Nakano, Daniela Taysa Rodrigues

  • 1Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo (EERP/USP), Brasil. angelinalettiere@ig.com.br

It is extremely important to identify women living in a violent situation. However, the health sector has not always offered a satisfactory response for the issue. We sought to identify how the health professionals of a maternity perceive and act in view of a violent situation. This is a qualitative research, in which the data were collected through semistructured interviews and subject to thematic analysis. The study group consisted of 12 health professionals from a philanthropic maternity hospital located in Ribeirão Preto, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. It was observed that health professionals characterize violence against women as a severe and important problem in society, caused by and leading to gender inequality. However, professional practice tends towards a biologistic and reductionist approach, which fragments women's health care,justified bythe lack of professional training, institutional support and a multidisciplinary team.

Related Concept Videos

International Nursing Organizations II01:28

International Nursing Organizations II

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations based in Geneva. The WHO has many initiatives that center around health. Primarily, they lead global efforts to expand universal health coverage using science-based policies and programs. They are also responsible for shaping health research agendas and developing norms and standards.
The WHO provides expert team support, including funding, vaccines, testing, and treatment tools at the country level to fight...
Barriers to Effective Communication II01:21

Barriers to Effective Communication II

The barriers to effective communication also include cultural barriers, semantic barriers, gender barriers, and time constraints.
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention01:26

Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention

Health promotion allows a person to control the determinants of health, resulting in an improved health status. It enhances the quality of life and reduces premature deaths. Health promotion and illness prevention programs help people make beneficial choices to reduce the risk of disease and disabilities. There are three health promotion and illness prevention levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.
In primary prevention, actions taken before disease onset prevent the disease from...
Prevalence and Incidence01:08

Prevalence and Incidence

In statistical epidemiology and health sciences, two essential metrics—prevalence and incidence—are fundamental for understanding disease dynamics within a population. These measures enable public health officials, epidemiologists, and researchers to assess the burden of diseases, allocate resources effectively, and design impactful public health policies and interventions.
Prevalence indicates the proportion of individuals in a population who have a specific disease or health condition at a...
Dimensions of Health and Illness01:21

Dimensions of Health and Illness

The factors influencing the health-illness continuum can be internal or external and may or may not be under conscious control. They are related to the following eight human dimensions, and each dimension is interrelated to one other.
Sexually Transmitted Infections01:26

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are diseases transmitted primarily through unsafe sexual interactions. Bacteria, viruses, or parasites cause them and can result in severe health complications if untreated.ChlamydiaThe bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis is responsible for the disease Chlamydia, the most common STI in the United States. This peculiar pathogen requires human cells to reproduce, residing intracellularly. The initial infection often goes unnoticed because it typically does not...