'Safe Lives, Save Lives'. Interprofessional Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) awareness training for final year QUB dental and pharmacy undergraduates

Title “Safe Lives, Save Lives” Interprofessional Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) awareness training for final year QUB Dental and Pharmacy Undergraduates. Introduction Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) is a significant public health issue with 15.4 million incidents annually in the UK1. This behaviour starts early with one in four young women, aged 15-24 years, who have been in a relationship, experiencing violence by an intimate partner by the time they reach their mid-twenties.2 Healthcare professionals are in a unique position to identify DVA, and to intervene3. Methods DVA awareness training has been part of the QUB dental undergraduate curriculum since 2013. It is based on the Ask, Validate, Document, Refer (AVDR) approach4. In October 2023, the workshop, which explored the nature, extent and impact of DVA, along with the range of agencies providing services and interventions, was expanded to include pharmacy students. Multi-professional groups of students were assigned DVA cases which they presented at an interprofessional, facilitated workshop. Participants views on the workshop, including working with another professional group, were explored in a questionnaire. Results One hundred and nine students responded to the questionnaire (response rate 61%). One hundred students (92%) agreed that the workshop completely met its objectives. Respondents reflected that the workshop provided them with a greater understanding of each other’s expertise and clinical roles as well as an enhanced understanding of their shared responsibility in recognising DVA. Conclusion In interprofessional learning, students from different professions learn about, from, and with each other. In this novel, interprofessional workshop between dentistry and pharmacy undergraduates, in addition to raising awareness of DVA and their role as future healthcare professionals, the participants also gained a greater appreciation of each other whilst working together for the workshop. This opportunity, with the shared goal of improving patient ...