Xray vision can help spot patterns of abuse
Researchers say hospital radiologists can help detect domestic violence. Kate Ryan, of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports.
RADIOLOGISTS, who typically interact little with patients, can play a key role in identifying victims of abuse by spotting patterns of injuries that point to domestic violence, researchers said last week.
Abuse victims, most often women, had more face, skull and arm fractures than other patients, combined with high rates of asthma, chronic pain and suicide attempts, a team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston reported.
The signs of abuse could be detected by radiologists, who specialised in interpreting images such as Xrays, given that such victims typically had four times more emergencyrelated imaging exams than other patients, the researchers said.
The abuse could be physical, sexual and psychological, they said.
‘‘There’s a wealth of information that’s available to us as radiologists,’’ said Dr Elizabeth George, chief resident in the department of radiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a lead researcher of the report.
‘‘There might be indications on the prior imaging, and if you see a pattern, that could alert you to something else going on in this case, such as violence.’’
The World Health Organisation reports that one in three women experiences physical or sexual violence in her lifetime.
The Violence Policy Centre, a research and advocacy group focused on gun violence, reported that more than half the women murdered in the United States last year were killed by current or former romantic partners.
Signs of abuse could easily be missed in a busy hospital emergency department, George said.
The researchers also said hospital records might not identify or report certain injuries as abuse.
‘‘Survivors need someone there who knows what’s happening,’’ Ruth Glenn, head of the Coloradobased National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said.
‘‘That alone can plant the seed to find safety. The medical field is perfectly set up to do this.’’
Turning the findings into action to help victims would require a coordinated effort among radiologists, social workers, emergency room doctors and others, George said.
More than 96% of US victims of violence at the hands of an intimate partner are women, according to the report, published in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America.