1. Encouraging Doctor-Patient Conversation about Domestic Violence
The communication between doctors and their patients regarding domestic violence has
been quite muted but that is now changing. Find out how.
As an ancillary study to the one undertaken previously, the Verizon Foundation also
entered into partnership with Society For Women’s Healthcare Research with the
objective of encouraging increased awareness of the issues related to the Intimate Partner
Violence and changing the way medical professionals approach the issue with their
patients. It is obvious that these Foundations have objectives that fall in line with those of
the Face Forward Organization as all are working in tandem to ensure that domestic
violence is at least, curbed. One of the areas that has remained a source of worry is that of
doctors’ attention to domestic violence when it relates to their patients. It is quite
disturbing to discover, as revealed by the More Magazine and Verizon Foundation Study,
that a mere 6% of doctors were able to make the connection between the domestic
violence and their patients’ long-term health issues.

2. Notably, institutions like Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital have taken great
strides in helping medical doctors adapt their approach to these situations. This would
require educating doctors to recognize instances where they might have a opening to pose
questions relating to intimate partner violence to their patients. According to research,
medical professionals tend to be slightly uncomfortable with asking these questions as
they do not want to risk offending and losing their patients. They are typically of the
opinion that the patients may feel like they are being accused or judged. However, this
initiative by the university hospital will help to address such issues by training doctors on
the approach they could take in initiating such conversations without triggering any
negative reaction or causing the patients to retreat into themselves. In addition to the
sterling work being done by Debora Alessi and the rest of the team at the Face Forward
Organization, such education for doctors is a fine complement to fight this growing
intimate partner’s violence trend.