Surgeons play key role in family violence identification and injury prevention.

2002 MAR 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Orthopedic surgeon Debra Zillmer, MD, grew suspicious when a patient's "tennis elbow" persisted, even with standard treatment. "It occurred to me that I needed to ask different questions," said Zillmer, who practices in Downers Grove, Illinois.

Zillmer began to probe, and the patient admitted that her husband was abusive. She referred the patient to a community social worker. Once the abuse was identified and the patient received some assistance, the elbow problem was resolved.

Scenarios like these will become more common in orthopedic surgeons' offices as they begin to work proactively to identify and deal with family violence, which includes domestic, child and elder abuse, reported Zillmer, who spoke at a media briefing at the 69th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

As medical specialists trained in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, orthopedic surgeons can be the first medical providers to treat victims of family violence. That puts them in an exceptional position to link victims with community family violence resources and to facilitate intervention, including hospitalization, for patients in immediate danger.

The Academy is working to educate its members about all forms of family violence, and offered educational courses to inform orthopedic surgeons and orthopedic nurses at its recent annual meeting.

"We can't solve the problem, but we can help with prevention of injuries through early identification," said Zillmer, who chairs the AAOS Task Force on Family Violence and serves as liaison to the American Medical Association's ...