Interventions with battered women in health care settings

Over the past decade advocates for battered women in the health care system, citing the large number of battered women who come to health care settings, have proposed interventions and trainings for health care personnel on behalf of battered women. However, little is currently known about the effectiveness of intervention efforts. This paper presents observation data on characteristics of battered women in four hospital Emergency Departments (EDs) and on staff responses to battered women in these EDs. The data show definite patterns in the women's characteristics and in staff responses to battered women. These data raise issues which should be considered in the researching and designing of interventions for battered women in the health care system.