Battered Wives and Medical Service: An Exploratory Study of Wife Assault Victims' Experiences in Nova Scotia Health Delivery Settings

Authors

  • Anthony Davis St. Francis Xavier University
  • Audrey MacNevin St. Francis Xavier University

Abstract

This essay examines the experiences of forty-eight wife assault victims within medical settings. Various qualitative features of the doctor-patient encounter were explored by using a closed-ended questionnaire. The survey data revealed that the physician's knowledge of the spousal abuse impacted little on the provision of physical examinations and the rate at which psychoactive drugs were prescribed. This paper postulates that discomfort with the subject of wife abuse, the frequency with which psychoactive drugs were dispensed, and some physicians' failure to inform patients of the side-effects of psychoactive drugs, impact negatively on the quality of care abused women received.

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Published

1989-10-10

Issue

Volume 15, Number 1 (1989)

Section

Original Research

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