Medical Confidentiality and domestic abuse
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Medical confidentiality and domestic abuse, a mixed methods assessment of medical and legal responses in Scotland.
IRAS ID
209310
Contact name
Dominic Reed
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 1 days
Research summary
This research aims to improve understandings of current medical and legal responses to domestic abuse, sexual assault and rape in Scotland, focusing on the City of Glasgow. By working with survivors and clinicians, this study will assess how current processes governing the use of sensitive medical information affect survivors and clinicians as owners and creators of this information.
The study features three strands.
One strand will analyse the processes governing the release and use of survivors’ medical records by legal services and will rely on collaboration with NHS GG&C and the Crown Office.
The second strand will involve in-depth interviews with doctors and nurses, recording their experiences in treating abuse survivors, the injuries they observe in abuse survivors and the issues in preserving confidentiality.
The third strand will employ a questionnaire for anonymous completion by survivors to establish their use of health services and the medical effects that abuse can have.
For the clinician interview study, the Chief Investigator will recruit doctors, nurses and dentists with experience of treating abuse survivors, regardless of specialty. The survivor questionnaire study will involve those attending Scottish Women’s Aid centres interested in recording the health effects of abuse. The medical record study will assess cases where the medical records of domestic abuse survivors are requested from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as evidence in criminal cases.
Clinicians will be interviewed on NHS property or in a quiet interview room on University of Glasgow property. Health questionnaires will be dispersed across the Women’s Aid network in Scotland. Medical record requests will be assessed in collaboration with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and the Crown Office.
The questionnaire study and medical record request studies will run for approximately six months. Clinician interviews will be held until a sample size of 20 is achieved.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 4
REC reference
17/WS/0190
Date of REC Opinion
19 Sep 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion