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Special Treatment at Hospital

As the women was wheeled into the operating theatre the nurse efficiently strapped the patients arms down and taped a padded wire that lead to an impressive looking machine with various indicators flicking across the central display.

"Is that a heart machine?" gasped the women, twisting her head to look. She was momentarily blinded as an overhead light was switched on, seemingly focused on her face. She was dimly away of a masked figure standing behind it, snapping on rubber gloves.

"Just answer the questions please", said the shadowy figure.

" Have you been asked to do anything sexual that you didn't wat to do?"
" Has anybody hurt or threatened you?
" Have you ever felt controlled or always criticised?"
" Would you like us to remove your children for their own safety"

"What do you mean?" asked the women. "What's this machine?" "Why aren't you treating me?"

"It's a lie detector machine. Now answer the question. Nurse, if she resists, administer the Sodium Pentathol"

Related Link: Women to be interrogated during routine hospital admissions
All women entering New Zealand public hospitals will be questioned about whether they or their children have been victims of family violence - even if they are merely seeking treatment for an ingrown toenail.

Whilst in hospital women will be asked these three questions to see if she may have been abused:
* Has anybody hurt or threatened you?
* Have you ever felt controlled or always criticised?
* Have you been asked to do anything sexual that you didn't wat to do?

Health Minister Pete Hodgson and other ministers are expected to announce the radical move tomorrow in an attempt to clamp down on the country's appalling record of child abuse and other domestic violence.

Comments

  1. Have you ever felt controlled or always criticised?

    Yes - it's called a particularly bad day at work, or even the less idyllic parts of being in an adult relationship with someone who isn't a dishrag - but isn't an abusive creep either.

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  2. Are there any women who haven't been asked to something sexual that they didn't want to do? I expect that if they can find one who hasn't found anything yet that she wasn't up for, presumably there are many fine gentlemen out there who'd like to meet her...

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  3. This sounds like a bit of a weird idea.

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  4. I hope someone's realised those aren't the kind of questions that'll be asked. Sounds like a pretty interesting idea, the handling of it will be important but in principle sounds like a good idea.

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  5. This is a tragically ironic nation!

    Nanny State should be asking those those questions at the recented legalised brothels!
    Prostitution is a dark light in the constellation of degrading behaviours that develop this outrageous child abuse.

    However, the current plan seems to be to treat everything piecemeal, without interconnection.
    "No, it's not drugs. No, not fatherless or motherless homes. No, it's not relative poverty. No, it's not social ghettos. No, it's not debased sex. No, it's not a culture of violence. No, it's not degraded Plunket services. No. No. No connections!"

    Yes, what it is apparently is a lack of advertising. By specifically targeting the problem through pamphlets, newspaper & radio ads, TV spots, and web banners, the abuse market will respond. Just like selling an iPod.

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  6. Fergus, what do you mean? They ARE the questions listed in the news article.

    Greg - excellent point about asking women in massage parlours, or street walkers etc. The funny thing is what would the point be in asking them such questions? Do we think the answers would surprise us? What action would the responses provoke?

    Don't people find this whole approach disturbing? At the least, a sign up on the wall - "if you need help, then ask".

    The Government could then establish a waiting list of applicants (up to six months)

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  7. I find this all incredibly disturbing. Now nurses are being asked to be the eyes and ears of the state in a more proactive way.

    I wonder what they would do if every woman just refused to answer the questions?

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  8. I think I answered that. Sodium Pentathol. We can do no less for the children.

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  9. Lucyna, the nurses I've spoken to have all said they won't be asking these questions. There are signs up in every NZ hospital pointing out that domestic violence is unacceptable and help is available.
    The nurses regard asking women those questions as impractical and intrusive.
    A triage nurse gets around three minutes to assess a patient. Under the guidelines for the new anti-smoking campaign, they're also supposed to ask a whole lot of questions about the patient's smoking habits.
    One supposes that the injury/illness the person is presenting with is incidental.....

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  10. It's from a set of Ministry of Health Guidelines, have a look at todays ODT and the Otago district Health board's proposed handling of the guidelines which is a bit more finessed and will involve it being done more on a consultation basis. Anyway the scheme seems to have done some good according to the paper's report.

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  11. Interesting Fergus. A quick scan of the article tells me two important things:

    1. An announcement would be made today regarding increased funding for family violence intervention co-ordinators in district health boards.

    2. The board had .. deliberately decided not to introduce routine questioning of women in the emergency department at this stage as it was considered unsafe.

    On one hand, they seem to have incorporated elements of screening since 2002 based on policy established back then, and on the other hand the comment:

    Asked if the Otago board would suddenly be required to change its strategy, Health Ministry violence intervention programme manager Jo Elvidge said it was not a ‘‘Stalinist state’’

    sums up the impression even the Health practitioners sense in these "new" directives.

    The whole thing strikes me as a feeble attempt to accent current policy, on the basis you can legislate for common sense and instinct based on long time experience dealing with people, and taken to an extreme that will only interfere with respectful treatment of patients.

    The link for anyone interested: Otago not a stalinist state

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  12. when did Otago declare independence from the rest of NZ? perhaps they will become like Tito's Yugoslavia

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  13. It's all a smokescreen! Medicos are nosey by nature so another scorecard is superfluous. This all to give the appearance of doing something while leaving the problem untouched.

    Don't delete this post or thread because you'll need it again in 2-3 months when the next kid is killed.

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  14. If anything, Otago tacitly declaring independence is only because it is attempting to navigate this issue with a modicum of common sense. In that regard, it may be unique amongst the DHBs. I hope not.

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