October 6, 2016 – Abuse in Pregnancy

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Anchor lead: It is possible to reduce domestic abuse of pregnant women, Elizabeth Tracey reports

A program known by the acronym DOVE, for Domestic Violence Enhanced Home Visitation Program, developed by Phyllis Sharps and colleagues at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, is able to significantly reduce instances of violence against women while they’re pregnant, the latest data show.  Sharps describes the program.

Sharps: As the home visitor, often a nurse but it could be a community health worker, is talking to the mother and finds out that the mother is concerned it she can implement our intervention, which is education about what abuse it, why we worry about it in pregnancy, how it can harm her as the pregnant woman and her baby that she’s carrying, other children in the home. And then we work with them to develop their own patient centered safety plan.  What is it that they want to do, what can they do to help them stay safe.  :32

Sharps would like to see the program expanded nationally.  At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.