Telemedicine Can Be a Lifesaver for Victims of Domestic Abuse

Since 1989, every October, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month is observed. Awareness is raised globally during this month to listen to the domestic violence victims and celebrate their survival. According to a study, nearly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 13 men become the victim of physical assault from their partner throughout their life. Victims of domestic abuse, especially women, find it hard to speak up and therefore often surfer from various unmet health needs- both mental and physical. Factors that keep them from speaking up include isolation, low self-esteem, brain washing, lack of support from friends and family, no insurance, etc. It has been found that telemedicine can prove to be a lifesaver for the victims of domestic abuse.  

 

Domestic Abuse in Rural Settings: 

The rate of domestic abuse is highest in the rural settings. According to a study, telemedicine and teletherapy helped a lot of domestic abuse victims in the setting and victims came forward and spoke up to a health professional, getting the correct treatment and diagnosis virtually. Many domestic abuse victims are comfortable talking to medical professionals virtually rather than in person. What’s most attractive about telemedicine is that patients can choose to be anonymous and still get the treatment they require.

 

Domestic Abuse is a Global Problem:

Domestic violence is a worldwide problem.; it’s not a problem, a particular community only needs to address. Cases have come up from all cultural backgrounds, all religions and all races. Stopping it is a hard task and one that requires innovations and government responsibility. But, from a medical point of view, telemedicine is an effective solution. Telemedicine is already becoming a part of healthcare practices and according to the report from the American Hospital Association, more than 70% of the hospitals in America offer telemedicine services of some kind. 

 

Rise in the Cases of Domestic Violence because of Lockdown: 

Because of coronavirus, people had to stay at home in quarantine. According to BBC, the domestic violence cases have increased by 20% thanks to the lockdown as victims are locked in with their abusers at home. Even if victims get the courage of seeking medical counseling, they can’t go to a hospital or a psychologist physically. Secondly, the fear of revealing their identity is very strong when a person has to spend 24 hours with their abuser. Telemedicine and teletherapy are the only feasible solutions in such cases. 

 

How Can a Person Speak up About their Abuse in Front of Their Abuser? 

One of the most notable concerns about people seeking telemedicine services for abuse is that how can they speak up about domestic abuse when their abuser is with them all the time? Psychiatrists are trained to identify warning signs in victims. These include, victims apologizing a lot and unnecessarily, refusing to maintain eye contact, unwillingness to discuss symptoms, fidgeting, and justifying something painful as a consequence of their action. 

 

Wow Health’s Telemedicine Service: 

Wow Health acknowledges these issues and has a competent and effective telemedicine service. These services are very low costing and allow online payments so the victim doesn’t need to leave their house during the entire process. Trained medical professionals are present on the other side of the screen to help patients in the best possible manner.