How to recognize and support victims of abuse in physiotherapy and other health care settings
Our Guide: Based on the literature review and the survey’s findings, the partnership has developed this stand-alone comprehensive Guide to address these key gaps in current training of physiotherapists in relation to DV. The Guide will equip them with the necessary skills to identify possible cases of abuse and provide appropriate and safe support to victims/survivors, thus increasing the efficacy of physiotherapy as well as DV victims’ adherence to assistance protocols offered by the various agencies tasked with their care and well-being.
This guide is intended for physiotherapists, who often are in a unique situation that enables them to identify signs of abuse – whether this arises from discussions between the patient and physiotherapist or is interpreted from overt clues such as patterns of bruising that repeats over extended periods of time, or more subtle cues, such as specific ways of behaving.
Our Project The OPEP-DV consortium includes Higher Education Institution, the University of Tartu, a vocational education institution, Tartu Health Care College, and private professional training provider M&M Profuture Training; as well as a Civil Society Organisations: The Union of Women Associations of Heraklion Prefecture, the Women Support and Information Centre, and Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies. OPEP-DV focuses on professional education and training of physiotherapists, so that they can identify and provide assistance to victims of DV (especially women).
The goal is to improve and in the long term unify physiotherapists’ education in EU countries on topics connected to identifying and supporting victims of DV. The indirect goal of the project is that more victims of DV are identified and assisted across the entire EU. In the first phase of the project, a general literature review of the topic was conducted. Partners from Cyprus, Estonia, Greece and Spain then examined the training, operating contexts and current attitudes of physiotherapists in each partner country.
This includes an online survey of 167 physiotherapists that was conducted, to assess how physiotherapists perceive their role in identifying cases of DV based on their previous experiences and DV training, and their perceived ability to make necessary referrals in Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, and Spain.
Now, we introduce our GUIDE FOR PROFESSIONALS
How to recognize and support victims of abuse in physiotherapy and other health care settings.
Visit our website for having our research report, curriculum and guide.
For knowing more: Facebook Website Contact at: mmoreno@mmprofuture.com
Stay tuned for knowing more about our MOOC course for physiotherapists recognized with a 1 ECTS credit by the University of Tartu.