Description | Background Migrant and seasonal farmworking (MSFW) women
patients experience substantially more intimate partner violence (IPV)
than the general population, but few health-care providers screen
patients for IPV. While researchers have examined screening practices
in health-care settings, none have exclusively focused on MSFW
women.
Objective The aim of this phenomenological study was to explore
the experiences of health-care providers who have screened for and/
or addressed IPV with MSFW women patients.
Design Researchers utilized descriptive phenomenology to capture
the lived experiences of these health-care providers. Data were analysed using Colaizzi’s seven-stage framework.
Setting and participants Interviews were conducted with nine female
participants – all of whom: (i) were clinically active health-care providers within the MSFW community, (ii) were bilingual in English and
Spanish or had access to a translator, (iii) had treated MSFW patients
who had experienced IPV and (iv) were at least 18 years of age.
Results Participants’ experiences were reflected in four emergent
themes: (i) provider-centered factors, (ii) patient-centered factors, (iii)
clinic-centered factors and (iv) community-centered factors. Participants
described barriers to establish routine IPV assessment, decrease patient
ambivalence and increase on-site support and community resources.
Discussion and conclusions This study aimed to generate a greater
understanding of the experiences of health-care providers with
screening for and addressing IPV with MSFW patients. Implications
and recommendations for research, clinical practice and policy are
provided. | en_US |