They didn’t survey their patients enough. Only 3% of women say they have been questioned by their general practitioner about possible domestic violence in the last 18 months, according to a study published Friday by the High Authority of Health (HAS), which recommends “systematically” questioning patients, to better identify victims.
Since 2019, the HAS “recommends that primary care healthcare professionals (general practitioners, gynecologists, pediatricians, emergency doctors, midwives, etc.) ask all their patients if they are experiencing or have experienced violence, even in the absence of signs. alert. The challenge is to “make it easier for victims to speak by normalizing the subject”, recalls the public authority in a press release.
According to this barometer carried out with the BVA institute in October 2022 then in October 2023*, out of 1,000 women, 891 of whom had consulted a general practitioner over the last 18 months, doctors’ practices are “stagnant” and this recommendation remains “too little implemented”. work”, while women are “very favorable”, continues the HAS.
Most women “favorable” to this questioning
In 2022 as in 2023, only 14% of women who consulted a general practitioner during the period remembered having been questioned about their relationship with their partner. And a very small minority, or 3% of respondents, say they have “been directly questioned about possible domestic violence” suffered. “On average in France, it is estimated that 3 to 4 women out of 10 could be victims of domestic violence among the patients of a general practitioner,” specifies the HAS.
“Contrary to the fears of certain professionals, 96% of the women surveyed consider that systematic questioning is a good thing” (48% a very good thing, 48% rather a good thing), observes the HAS. Some of them indicated that they might feel embarrassed (23%), judged (15%) or shocked (13%) by this type of question, but most “still say they are in favor of it”.
*The survey was carried out online on a representative sample of 1,000 French women over 18 years old, between September 29 and October 6, 2023.