Hosted by the Bristol Cancer Research Network
Abstract: Domestic abuse affects almost 9 million of us in England and Wales and is a violation of basic human rights and a form of gender-based violence. Its impact on mental and physical health is profound and long-lasting. Evidence from the USA shows that the impact extends to screening, care, and treatment for cancer. Healthcare professionals are often the first or only professionals to whom victim-survivors disclose domestic abuse. Interventions have transformed the healthcare response to domestic abuse in a range of clinical practice areas. But no interventions have been conducted and evaluated within the UK’s cancer workforce. This is an enormous gap in knowledge and practice. This presentation will outline the results of a consultation exercise that explored what is currently happening in the cancer workforce and why with regards to the identification and response to domestic abuse. The consultation used surveys and interviews with professionals who see patients diagnosed with cancer, reaching over 300 professionals from mostly acute or community health, and victim-survivors of domestic abuse affected by cancer. The findings will lay the groundwork for an intervention that aims to improve the confidence and awareness of cancer professionals around domestic abuse and ensure that victim-survivors get the support they need. This work is led by Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse and is funded by Macmillan Cancer Support.
Bio: Dr Sandi Dheensa is an applied social scientist in Bristol Medical School. Her research uses mixed methods and focuses on the public health and healthcare responses to domestic violence and abuse. She currently works on the CancerDA project which will soon enter its intervention phase; ADVANCE- a domestic violence perpetrator programme for men in treatment for substance use disorder; HERA – a global health programme that aims to enhance the healthcare response to gender-based violence in Brazil, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the occupied Palestinian Territories; and PRESSURE, which explores healthcare professionals’ own experiences of domestic violence and abuse.
Zoom link: https://bristol-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/97013689476?pwd=RXl5MTBiaVBYVTdDZFFyK2x1NWpVZz09
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