Child maltreatment: pathway to chronic and long-term conditions?

The manifesto Start Well, Live Better by the UK Faculty of Public Health (Start Well, Live Better-A Manifesto for the Public's Health. London: UK Faculty of Public Health, 2014) sets out 12 compelling priorities for the protection of people's health. The focus of this document is preventative, calling for a comprehensive strategy to target a wide-ranging set of challenges to public health; however, it fails to mention child maltreatment and its negative impact on long-term health outcomes.

Priorities and strategies for improving disabled women's access to maternity services when they are affected by domestic abuse: a multi-method study using concept maps.

Background: Domestic abuse is a significant public health issue. It occurs more frequently among disabled women than those without a disability and evidence suggests that a great deal of domestic abuse begins or worsens during pregnancy. All women and their infants are entitled to equal access to high quality maternity care.

Disabled women's experiences of accessing and utilising maternity services when they are affected by domestic abuse: a critical incident technique study.

Background: Women and their babies are entitled to equal access to high quality maternity care. However, when women fit into two or more categories of vulnerability they can face multiple, compound barriers to accessing and utilising services. Disabled women are up to three times more likely to experience domestic abuse than non-disabled women.

Access and utilisation of maternity care for disabled women who experience domestic abuse: a systematic review.

Background: Although disabled women are significantly more likely to experience domestic abuse during pregnancy than non-disabled women, very little is known about how maternity care access and utilisation is affected by the co-existence of disability and domestic abuse. This systematic review of the literature explored how domestic abuse impacts upon disabled women's access to maternity services.

Methods: Eleven articles were identified through a search of six electronic databases and data were analysed to identify: the factors that facilitate or compromise access to care; the consequences of inadequate care for pregnant women's health and wellbeing; and the effectiveness of existing strategies for improvement.

Older women living and coping with domestic violence.

Although domestic violence is seen as a serious public health issue for women worldwide, international evidence suggests that women aged over 50 who are victims are suffering in silence because the problem is often ignored by health professionals. More U.K.

Safeguarding children and public health: midwives' responsibilities.

Aim: Using a healthy settings framework, this study aims to compare and contrast how midwives working in either hospital or community settings are currently responding to the co-occurrence of domestic and child abuse; their perceived role and willingness to identify abuse; record keeping; reporting of suspected or definite cases of child abuse; and training received.

Methods: A survey questionnaire was sent to 861 hospital and community midwives throughout Northern Ireland, which resulted in 488 midwives completing the questionnaire, a 57% response rate. Comparisons were made using descriptive statistics and cross-tabulation and the questionnaire was validated using exploratory factor analysis.

Recognizing the co-occurrence of domestic and child abuse: a comparison of community- and hospital-based midwives.

This study aimed to compare and contrast how midwives working in either hospital or community settings are currently responding to the co-occurrence of domestic and child abuse (CA), their perceived role and willingness to identify abuse, record keeping, reporting of suspected or definite cases of CA and training received. A survey questionnaire was sent to 861 hospital and community midwives throughout Northern Ireland which resulted in 488 midwives completing the questionnaire, leading to a 57% response rate. Comparisons were made using descriptive statistics and cross-tabulation, and the questionnaire was validated using exploratory factor analysis.

Overcoming health inequalities: a participative evaluation framework fit for the task.

Aims: Healthcare providers are confronted with the claim that the distribution of health and healthcare provision is inherently unfair. There is also a growing awareness that the tools and methodologies applied in tackling health inequalities require further development. Evaluations as well as interventions usually focus on population-based indicators, but do not always provide guidance for frontline service evaluation and delivery.

A healthy settings framework: an evaluation and comparison of midwives' responses to addressing domestic violence.

Objectives: to compare and contrast how midwives working in either hospital- or community-based settings address domestic violence by evaluating their views on: prevalence of domestic violence; their role in addressing domestic violence; the acceptability of routine enquiry; and barriers encountered in asking clients questions about violence and abuse in pregnancy.

Design: a postal survey questionnaire.

Setting: Northern Ireland.

Recognizing and reporting child physical abuse: a survey of primary healthcare professionals.

Aim: This paper reports a study of the self-reported ability and behaviours of primary healthcare professionals in Northern Ireland to recognise child physical abuse. A secondary aim was to assess the educational and training needs of these professionals.

Background: In the United Kingdom, 7% of children suffer serious physical abuse by a parent or carer, and two children aged under 15 years die from abuse each week.

How to recognise a 'quality' grounded theory research study.

Background: The quality of a research study is a key issue for clinical practitioners committed to the delivery of 'best-practice' patient care. With the increasing use of grounded theory in nursing research, attention is now focusing on the quality of studies using this research methodology. Indeed, within the growing body of grounded theory in nursing some methodological problems are emerging that raise questions about the quality of the research.

The use of exploratory factor analysis in evaluating midwives' attitudes and stereotypical myths related to the identification and management of domestic violence in practice.

Objective: to investigate the suitability of the 'Midwives' Attitudes to Domestic Violence Scale' for evaluating midwives' attitudes and stereotypical myths related to the identification and management of domestic violence in practice. Other objectives were to assess midwives' perceived role and experience of raising the issue of domestic violence with their clients, and to assess their perceived prevalence of domestic violence in their current practice.

Design: survey using a postal quesnionnaire.

Making equity a reality: oral health promotion in a psychiatric setting.

The aim of the study addresses the inequity in oral health status of long stay psychiatric patients, by promoting an inter-disciplinary team approach to oral health promotion. A cross sectional study using a modified version of the oral health assessment guide (OHAG) (Eilers et al 1988, Sjorgen & Nordstrom 2000) was used by a nurse who received training and calibration at the School of Dentistry, Queen's University, Belfast, to assess the oral health status of long stay psychiatric patients. The paper provides an overview of the literature relating to oral health within the context of holistic health.

Cognitive dissonance and undergraduate nursing students' knowledge of, and attitudes about, smoking.

Background: Smoking is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Although nurses have an important role in health promotion, and are well placed to see the harmful effects of tobacco smoking, studies suggest that they smoke at much the same rate as the general population.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to report a study examining undergraduate nursing students' knowledge about the impact of smoking on health, and their attitudes towards smokers and smoking.