The impact on midwives of undertaking screening for domestic violence - focus group findings

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the impact mandatory screening for domestic violence has had upon registered midwives.
Design: Three phase study – Phase one involved focus group interviews.
Setting: Hospitals in South-East Queensland undertaking mandatory domestic violence screening.
Participants: Registered midwives undertaking screening for domestic violence.
Results: Several barriers were identified that directly impacted upon the midwives' potential to screen effectively. Barriers identified were classified as intrinsic (intrapersonal and perception) and extrinsic (interpersonal, environmental and organisational infrastructure).
Principle, conclusions and implications for practice: Although midwives have strong beliefs about the value of domestic violence screening, there is a negative perception about it's efficacy and an assumption of failure due to the barriers identified by the registered midwives.