Emergency Care of the Abused

Description

Any general practitioner, pediatrician, or emergency physician will appreciate the easy-to-read, accessible information available in this book which will assist the health care practitioner in managing the acute care of abused patients. It is not intended to be an exhaustive study of each topic, but a quick reference and practical guide for those in the clinical arena who see such patients. Covering a wide range of the abuse that a health care practitioner may see from domestic violence and child abuse to trafficking and torture, topics which are not commonly included in textbooks, it also discusses the cultural influences on managing and investigating abuse. Each chapter has goals and objectives to maximize educational reading on the topic, photographs and tables to assist the clinician, legal aspects of the emergency situation, and quick reference pages to assist the practitioner dealing with an abused patient in an emergency.

Fiona E. Gallahue is Associate Residency Director and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and an emergency medicine physician at New York Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, New York. Laura D. Melville is Director of Acute Care for Sexual Abuse, Child Abuse, and Domestic Violence and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, as well as an emergency medicine physician at New York Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, New York.

"A strength of the book is its attention to the abuse of immigrants, which highlights cultural issues to which clinicians must be sensitive during the acute medical care encounter, such as language discordances, immigration status, legal status, and differences in cultural practices. Examples are provided of culturally based practices that can interfere with communication and patient care, such as restrictions related to direct eye contact or diet. There are likewise interesting discussions about trafficking and torture, including contemporary issues such as the influence of globalization and cultural values on human trafficking and the role of medical and psychological professionals in the treatment and maltreatment of detainees...In summary, Emergency Care of the Abused is an easy-to-read reference text about how to recognize and provide immediate medical treatment for different types of abuse. To our knowledge, it is the first of its kind to address the breadth of abuse issues that general practitioners, emergency medicine physicians, pediatricians, and others may encounter in their clinical practice." --Journal of the American Medical Association