MAKING A PLACE FOR TEACHING ABOUT FAMILY VIOLENCE IN MEDICAL-SCHOOL

Although family violence is a common cause of patients' problems, it h as not yet received sufficient attention in medical school curricula. There are several possible reasons for this delay, including the fact that teaching about family violence is complicated because there are n o ''quick fix'' interventions, the approaches are often complex and mu ltidisciplinary, and there may he limited resources for response in ma ny communities. The author offers a variety of suggestions for incorpo rating family violence topics in the medical school curriculum, such a s: (1) expose students to information about family violence in their p reclinical training, and integrate family violence issues into clinica l instruction (several examples are given); (2) use problem-based teac hing formats when possible, since these lend themselves well to the in tegration of family violence issues into case presentations; (3) enric h the curriculum by the participation of a variety of non-MD experts w ho deal with family violence issues, and take students out of the clas sroom to shelters and other relevant locations; (4) teach a prevention oriented approach, just as is taught for the areas of smoking, seat b elt use, weight control, etc.; (5) use standardized patients, interact ive computer-based learning, and other innovative methodologies to hel p preclinical students perfect their interviewing and examination skil ls; (6) during the clinical years, include violence as part of the dif ferential diagnosis of common medical complaints; (7) give attention t o the education of residents for consistent teaching and reinforcement of principles learned in medical school, and integrate family violenc e education into the entire continuum of physicians' education; (8) bu ild appropriate expectations into accreditation requirements and into medical licensing and specialty certifying examinations. The author co ncludes that medical schools have a medical and moral mandate to do a better job of teaching about family violence to ensure that their grad uates can help contain this growing national problem.