Intimate Partner Violence: Using Standardized Patients to Improve Trauma-Informed Care in the era of the Covid-19 Pandemic

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health problem that has been exacerbated by the social isolation measures currently in place in countries around the world. The authors appreciate the importance of teaching medical students the skill sets to cope with the recognition and diagnosis and medical management of IPV. This is because physicians are most often the first point of contact for victims of IPV. It is also essential to ensure medical students become self-aware of the emotional triggers which may be associated with caring for victims of IPV. This opinion piece explains how medical educators can make a difference in training future physicians in caring for victims of IPV. With the current COVID-19 pandemic bringing the issue of IPV sharply into focus, this paper outlines why medical educators should ensure that medical students are equipped to deal with the societal consequences emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic which will reverberate into the future. Therefore, there is no more time to waste. We are facing a critical juncture, with the current cohort of medical students and physicians exposed to the disproportionately high levels of personal, professional, and emotional trauma that have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. Training is imperative; it is of paramount importance for our future medical professionals to be self-aware of their emotional triggers.