Citation

Fikree FF, Jafarey SN, Korejo R, Khan A, Durocher JM. Int. J. Gynaecol. Obstet. 2004; 87(1): 59-65.

Affiliation

The Population Council, International Programs Division, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ijgo.2004.05.014

PMID

15464785

Abstract

Objective: Our study assesses Pakistani obstetricians knowledge of the prevalence of domestic violence in clinical practice and attitudes towards instituting screening protocols during routine antenatal care. Methods: One hundred obstetricians, all Karachi residents, were randomly drawn from a stratified sampling list taken from membership lists. A structured questionnaire assessing prevalence, attitudes, and beliefs on training and domestic violence screening protocols was administered. Results: Nearly 70% of obstetricians reported that more than 30% of Pakistani women are victims of domestic abuse. Sixty-two obstetricians specified that they had identified a physically abused woman within the past year. Almost half of the respondents were favorably inclined to screen patients. Professional, personal and patient-related barriers were identified as the main hurdles preventing instituting screening. Conclusions: The desire for instituting routine screening despite the recognition of major hurdles by Pakistani obstetricians should propel reproductive health stakeholders to raise awareness about appropriately modifying standard antenatal care protocols.