trauma prevention
The two biggest ways to prevent trauma in pregnancy are through seat belt use and domestic violence screening.
Seat Belt Use Tips:
Domestic Violence Screening
Health care workers have a unique opportunity to screen for domestic violence. Every pregnant trauma patient should be screened and then appropriately referred if domestic violence is suspected. Approximately one million women sustain non-fatal violence by an intimate partner annually and at least 1400 women die as a result. Abused pregnant women have a three fold higher risk of being victims of attempted and completed homicide than non-abused women. Most often, the abuser is the patient's boyfriend or spouse. As the pregnancy advances, the violence may escalate in incidence and severity and the uterus and fetus may sustain the brunt of the force. Common sites of abuse include the face, head, breasts, abdomen, upper arm and lateral thighs.
Here are some screening questions you can use:
Have you ever been hit, kicked, or slapped by your partner?
Has your partner ever forced you into sexual activities against your will?
Are you afraid of your partner?
What happens when you or your partner argue or fight?
Health care workers have a unique opportunity to screen for domestic violence. Every pregnant trauma patient should be screened and then appropriately referred if domestic violence is suspected. Approximately one million women sustain non-fatal violence by an intimate partner annually and at least 1400 women die as a result. Abused pregnant women have a three fold higher risk of being victims of attempted and completed homicide than non-abused women. Most often, the abuser is the patient's boyfriend or spouse. As the pregnancy advances, the violence may escalate in incidence and severity and the uterus and fetus may sustain the brunt of the force. Common sites of abuse include the face, head, breasts, abdomen, upper arm and lateral thighs.
Here are some screening questions you can use:
Have you ever been hit, kicked, or slapped by your partner?
Has your partner ever forced you into sexual activities against your will?
Are you afraid of your partner?
What happens when you or your partner argue or fight?