Health on the Front Lines

Excerpts from the Paper

Health on the Front Lines
Emergency physicians can prevent domestic violence both through treating symptoms as well as the root causes of violence. The emergency physician has an ethical duty, in providing care, to help identify when domestic violence occurs so that it can be prevented over the long term. This does not only include spousal abuse, but also abused children and the elderly. The emergency physician must also report the violence to the appropriate authorities if it is required by law.
The challenge is that not all domestic violence is easily identified, which means that the emergency physician needs to be able to recognize specific sets of symptoms. These include injuries to the head, neck or chest that may suggest a defensive...

.....ount of time to use hospital equipment, because they can risk additional illness or injury which will only end up putting a higher burden on the health care system over time.
The priorities of spending should be focussed on demographic needs in this day and age. We know that the population of this country is quickly aging with the Baby Boom generation. This will put an even larger burden of care on our health care system. This means that the government should think about preventative health care campaigns so that we have a healthier elderly population which does not rely extensively on emergent care. This could involve provision of cheaper, alternative health care options as well as public health campaigns which target the older generation.