The Toronto Hospital Establishes Hospital-Wide Policies on Abuse

(Toronto, February 6, 1996) - The Toronto Hospital has established new comprehensive, patient care policies on child abuse, elder abuse, sexual assault, spousal abuse and providing care to the alleged offender. The Toronto Hospital is believed to be the first hospital in Canada to develop hospital-wide policies covering this breadth of abuse issues.

Canadian studies have reported that 61 per cent of women physically or sexually assaulted by their male partners are injured in the attack and that 20 per cent of women admitted for emergency surgery are victims of violence. However, many of these women are never identified by their caregivers as victims of abuse.

Mary Jane McNally, Nurse Manager of Inpatient Psychiatry and Co-chair of The Toronto Hospital Task Force on Abuse which developed the policies, says the new policies are the first step in changing that pattern.

"Health care professionals have not always been very good at identifying patients in abusive situations or providing an environment in which a patient can feel safe enough to disclose," she says. "If we miss that opportunity we may be helping patients to recover, only to send them back into the situation that led to their hospitalization in the first place."

The policies provide staff with a list of physical, behavioural, and other signs which may indicate that a patient has suffered abuse. The policies also include a clear procedure to be followed in situations where staff suspect abuse. The Task Force consulted with community agencies, the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee and the Metropolitan Police in developing the policies.

Catherine Kohm, Discharge Planning Coordinator and Co-Chair of the Task Force, says the policies reflect the situations hospital staff often find themselves in.

"Dealing with patients who are in an abusive situation is not uncommon," says Ms. Kohm. "Until now, staff have often used their own judgement on how to handle these complex situations. Now, they have a clear policy which outlines how to assess whether a patient has been abused, when to intervene in a situation, and how to offer appropriate support to the patient."

Ms. Kohm acknowledges that many staff are uncomfortable in dealing with situations of suspected abuse. To familiarize staff with the new policies and to give them confidence in dealing with these situations, the task force has developed an hour-long information session. Led by 25 trained facilitators from within the Hospital, the sessions are open to all medical and hospital staff.

For more information please contact:

Linda Huestis

Senior Public Affairs Officer

The Toronto Hospital

Public and Community Affairs

Bell Wing 1-602

585 University Avenue

Toronto, Ontario Canada M5G 2C4

(416) 340-3303

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