FEATURE Help Stop Domestic Violence


Prepare to respond to this often hidden issue BY ROBERT KURTZ


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ore than one in three women (35.6 percent) and more than one in four men (28.5 percent) in the US have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (www. cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs_ report2010-a.pdf). When you consider the numbers, says Bruce Ettinger, MD, a regulatory and accreditation compliance consultant based in Santa Monica, California, and ASCA Board member, ASCs often are providing care to patients who have been victims of domestic violence, “It is a major public health issue,”


says Ettinger, whose work related to providing domestic violence aware- ness and education includes co-found- ing the Academy on Violence and Abuse and serving previously as the


20 ASC FOCUS OCTOBER 2015


liaison for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to the American Medical Association’s National Advisory Council on Vio- lence and Abuse. “Since domestic vio- lence is often a hidden issue, it is likely that people who are victims are com- ing into ASCs all the time and we do not realize it,” he says. The statistics show that domestic vio- lence does not discriminate, says San- dra Wells, RN, director of clinical sup- port for the New York/New Jersey area


ASCA Training Resource


ASCA’s Online Training Series Module: Identifying & Assessing Domestic Abuse Victims for Ambulatory Surgery Center Professionals www.ascassociation.org/ trainingseries


for Physicians Endoscopy, an ASC management and development com- pany based in Jamison, Pennsylvania. “It occurs among heterosexuals and same- sex partnerships, all age ranges, ethnic backgrounds and economic levels,” she says. “The health care system offers a crucial opportunity for early identifica- tion and the prevention of abuse.” ASCs must play a role in this identi- fication and prevention, says Linda Stair, RN, clinical supervisor at the Western Maryland Surgicenter in Cumberland, Maryland. “It should be considered part of the overall care for patients. While patients may not think ASCs would be a good resource since we provide elective surgeries, as caregivers we can and should become such a resource. Patients trust us to provide their care, and they should trust that we are always look- ing out for their wellbeing.”


Understanding the Requirements Many US states have enacted domestic violence reporting laws for individuals being treated by health care professionals, Ettinger says. “ASCs must know their state reporting requirements. In several states, health care providers are mandated to report obvious signs of abuse and/or a victim’s acknowledgement of abuse to law enforcement. In some states, such as California, providers must report even if they only suspect abuse.” To learn about their state’s spe- cific requirements, Ettinger says ASCs should visit the web site of their state’s department of health. He notes that domestic violence is now frequently referred to as intimate partner violence. Most ASCs must meet other domes- tic violence-related guidelines, says Susan Kizirian, principal of ASC con- sulting firm Kizirian Health Care Con- sulting in Tampa, Florida. “If you are accredited, there are standards relating to domestic violence your ASC will be expected to meet.”


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