Domestic violence during pregnancy: Midwives׳ experiences

• Domestic violence is a hidden and difficult to detect problem.
• The midwives feel unprepared to deal with domestic violence.
• Clinical experience, relationships and continuity of care are fundamental in detecting violence.
• The midwives have conflicting opinions about screening tools designed to detect domestic violence.
• To offer women competent support, a multidisciplinary approach is necessary.

Objectivethe aim of this qualitative study was to explore midwives׳ knowledge and clinical experience of domestic violence among pregnant women, with particular emphasis on their perceptions of their professional role.Designthe data collected for this phenomenological-hermeneutical qualitative study were collected using semi-structured interviews, and analysed according to Denzin and Lincoln (2011).Setting and participantsfifteen hospital and community midwives working in the local health district of Monza and Brianza in northern Italy were recruited between July and October 2012.Findingsthree main themes emerged: ‘it is difficult to recognise domestic violence’ because of a limited knowledge of the most common signs and symptoms of violence, a lack of training, cultural taboos, and the women׳s unwillingness to disclose abuse; ‘we have a certain number of means of identifying violence’, such as relationships with the woman, specific professional training and screening tools, which have advantages and disadvantages; ‘the professionals involved’ in identifying and managing family violence highlight the importance of a interdisciplinary approach.Key conclusions and implications for practicemidwives acknowledge their crucial role in identifying and managing domestic violence but are still unprepared to do so and indicate various barriers that need to be overcome. There is a need to implement basic university education on the subject and provide specific professional training.