Healthcare services in the intersectoral coping of domestic violence against children: a scoping review.
Rosemeire Natsuko Shoji, Emiko Yoshikawa Egry, Karen Namie Sakata So
PMID 41294164WHAT IT FOUND
Healthcare services can help detect domestic violence against children through screening, home visits and education, but fragmented systems, underreporting and limited training limit this.
Nurses can assess, monitor and refer affected families.
Key findings
01The review included 34 studies from 13 countries and identified six empirical categories.
02Routine screening, home visits and educational programs were identified as useful for early detection of child domestic violence, but they require highly trained professionals and significant resources.
03An included study reported the VoorZorg nurse home-visiting program as effective in preventing child abuse and domestic violence by providing ongoing support and structured interventions to mothers, addressing risk factors through home visits and parenting skills training. The contribution of any single component cannot be separated.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a scoping review, so it maps the literature rather than testing whether interventions work. Only 34 documents were included, and the evidence was uneven across countries. The review focused on children and excluded studies that did not clearly distinguish children from adolescents. The review excluded reviews, theses, books, guidelines, letters, editorials, abstracts and studies not available online, so it may miss relevant evidence. The included studies were heterogeneous, including protocol implementation, service evaluations and qualitative reports. The authors note low scientific production and modest methodological level.
Declared interests
The supplied text reports funding from the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). It does not report competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this scoping review as proof that nurse home visits or screening protocols work for all children. It maps heterogeneous studies, including service evaluations and protocols, and does not establish a tested effect.