Project 466483

Intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to behaviour by an intimate partner or ex-partner that causes physical, sexual, or psychological harm, including physical aggression, sexual coercion, and psychological abuse. Given the nature of their work, many surgeons are well-positioned to assist victims of IPV but are misinformed about the prevalence of IPV among their patients. Many surgeons may also feel uncomfortable asking about IPV and unsure of how to assist patients experiencing abuse. The EDUCATE program, developed by Drs. Sprague and Bhandari and their team at McMaster University, was created to educate orthopaedic surgeons on how to best identify and assist IPV victims in an orthopaedic injury clinic setting and has been implemented across Canada in multiple fracture clinics. The eventual goal is to use an evidence-based approach to expand the program beyond orthopaedic surgery. To accomplish this, additional research on the needs of other surgical subspecialties is required. Therefore, we propose a qualitative study exploring surgeons personal experiences, attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge of IPV and their impressions of the EDUCATE program. Approximately 20 surgeons from different specialties affiliated with McMaster University will complete a brief demographics questionnaire followed by a qualitative interview. During the interview, participants will be asked a series of questions regarding their knowledge and comfort towards IPV and general impressions of the EDUCATE program. Responses will be analyzed using thematic analysis based on the objectives. Findings from this research will inform the expansion of the EDUCATE program which will, in turn, prepare more surgeons to more appropriately identify and assist patients experiencing IPV.