A comparison of the training needs of maternity and sexual health professionals in a London teaching hospital with regards to routine enquiry for domestic abuse

Summary Objective To identify maternity and sexual healthcare professionals’ training needs regarding routine enquiry for domestic abuse. Study design A cross-sectional survey, part of a theory-based evaluation of a routine enquiry for domestic abuse intervention in a South London teaching hospital. Methods Two hundred and twenty-eight maternity professionals (68% of staff) and 46 sexual health practitioners (45% of staff) attended a 1-day domestic abuse training session. Pre-training questionnaires were completed by 208 respondents (80% response rate). The questionnaire elicited information about previous training experiences, dealing with cases of abuse, general knowledge, attitudes towards victims of abuse and views on routine enquiry. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify differences according to healthcare setting, prior training, and practitioners’ demographic and experiential traits. Results Maternity and sexual health professionals reported positive attitudes towards women affected by abuse, but had limited domestic abuse training. Previously trained health professionals had good general knowledge, but failed to question attendees about abuse. Sexual health professionals were more likely to enquire about domestic abuse, and were more confident about implementing routine enquiry than maternity staff. Views on routine enquiry were influenced by health setting, demographic, attitudinal and experiential factors. Conclusions Domestic abuse training is necessary in maternity and sexual health services. Educational interventions for routine enquiry should include practice-enabling components in addition to awareness modules and pre-training assessment of individuals’ training needs to provide content that is tailored to their clinical practice and working environments. Institutional guidelines are recommended to enhance and sustain the positive effects of training.