Abstract
Background: The Emergency Department (ED) has been shown to be a valuable location to screen for family violence. Study Objective: To investigate the characteristics of family violence victims presenting to EDs in a Chinese population in Hong Kong. Methods: This study examined a retrospective cohort of patients presenting to the Accident and Emergency Departments of three regional hospitals in the Kwai Tsing district of Hong Kong for evaluation and management of physical injuries related to family violence during the period of January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2008. Results: A total of 15,797 patients were assessed. The sample comprised cases of intimate partner violence (IPV; n = 10,839), child abuse and neglect (CAN; n = 3491), and elder abuse (EA; n = 1467). Gender differences were found in patterns of ED utilization among the patients. The rates of readmission were 12.9% for IPV, 12.8% for CAN, and 8.9% for EA. Logistic regression showed that being male, being discharged against medical advice, and arriving at the hospital via ambulance were the common factors associated with readmission to the EDs for patients victimized by IPV and CAN. Conclusion: This study investigates the victim profile of a large cohort of a Chinese population, providing a unique data set not previously released in this cultural or medical system. The findings give insights to early identification of victims of family violence in the EDs and suggest that screening techniques focused on multiple forms of family violence would improve identification of violence cases. Multidisciplinary collaboration between health, legal, and social service professionals is also warranted to meet the various needs of victims and to reduce hospital readmissions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 249-258 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of Emergency Medicine |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 Jan 1 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Emergency Medicine
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Characteristics of family violence victims presenting to emergency departments in Hong Kong. / Chan, Edward Ko Ling; Choi, Anna Wai Man; Fong, Daniel Y.T.; Chow, Chun Bong; Leung, Ming; Ip, Patrick.
In: Journal of Emergency Medicine, Vol. 44, No. 1, 01.01.2013, p. 249-258.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Characteristics of family violence victims presenting to emergency departments in Hong Kong
AU - Chan, Edward Ko Ling
AU - Choi, Anna Wai Man
AU - Fong, Daniel Y.T.
AU - Chow, Chun Bong
AU - Leung, Ming
AU - Ip, Patrick
PY - 2013/1/1
Y1 - 2013/1/1
N2 - Background: The Emergency Department (ED) has been shown to be a valuable location to screen for family violence. Study Objective: To investigate the characteristics of family violence victims presenting to EDs in a Chinese population in Hong Kong. Methods: This study examined a retrospective cohort of patients presenting to the Accident and Emergency Departments of three regional hospitals in the Kwai Tsing district of Hong Kong for evaluation and management of physical injuries related to family violence during the period of January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2008. Results: A total of 15,797 patients were assessed. The sample comprised cases of intimate partner violence (IPV; n = 10,839), child abuse and neglect (CAN; n = 3491), and elder abuse (EA; n = 1467). Gender differences were found in patterns of ED utilization among the patients. The rates of readmission were 12.9% for IPV, 12.8% for CAN, and 8.9% for EA. Logistic regression showed that being male, being discharged against medical advice, and arriving at the hospital via ambulance were the common factors associated with readmission to the EDs for patients victimized by IPV and CAN. Conclusion: This study investigates the victim profile of a large cohort of a Chinese population, providing a unique data set not previously released in this cultural or medical system. The findings give insights to early identification of victims of family violence in the EDs and suggest that screening techniques focused on multiple forms of family violence would improve identification of violence cases. Multidisciplinary collaboration between health, legal, and social service professionals is also warranted to meet the various needs of victims and to reduce hospital readmissions.
AB - Background: The Emergency Department (ED) has been shown to be a valuable location to screen for family violence. Study Objective: To investigate the characteristics of family violence victims presenting to EDs in a Chinese population in Hong Kong. Methods: This study examined a retrospective cohort of patients presenting to the Accident and Emergency Departments of three regional hospitals in the Kwai Tsing district of Hong Kong for evaluation and management of physical injuries related to family violence during the period of January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2008. Results: A total of 15,797 patients were assessed. The sample comprised cases of intimate partner violence (IPV; n = 10,839), child abuse and neglect (CAN; n = 3491), and elder abuse (EA; n = 1467). Gender differences were found in patterns of ED utilization among the patients. The rates of readmission were 12.9% for IPV, 12.8% for CAN, and 8.9% for EA. Logistic regression showed that being male, being discharged against medical advice, and arriving at the hospital via ambulance were the common factors associated with readmission to the EDs for patients victimized by IPV and CAN. Conclusion: This study investigates the victim profile of a large cohort of a Chinese population, providing a unique data set not previously released in this cultural or medical system. The findings give insights to early identification of victims of family violence in the EDs and suggest that screening techniques focused on multiple forms of family violence would improve identification of violence cases. Multidisciplinary collaboration between health, legal, and social service professionals is also warranted to meet the various needs of victims and to reduce hospital readmissions.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84872329401&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84872329401&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jemermed.2012.01.061
DO - 10.1016/j.jemermed.2012.01.061
M3 - Article
C2 - 22809810
AN - SCOPUS:84872329401
VL - 44
SP - 249
EP - 258
JO - Journal of Emergency Medicine
JF - Journal of Emergency Medicine
SN - 0736-4679
IS - 1
ER -