Healthcare providers' experiences screening for intimate partner violence among migrant and seasonal farmworking women: A phenomenological study

BACKGROUND: Migrant and seasonal farmworking (MSFW) women patients experience substantially more intimate partner violence (IPV) than the general population, but few health‐care providers screen patients for IPV. While researchers have examined screening practices in health‐care settings, none have exclusively focused on MSFW women. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of health‐care providers who have screened for and/or addressed IPV with MSFW women patients. DESIGN: Researchers utilized descriptive phenomenology to capture the lived experiences of these health‐care providers. Data were analysed using Colaizzi's seven‐stage framework. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Interviews were conducted with nine female participants – all of whom: (i) were clinically active health‐care providers within the MSFW community, (ii) were bilingual in English and Spanish or had access to a translator, (iii) had treated MSFW patients who had experienced IPV and (iv) were at least 18 years of age. RESULTS: Participants' experiences were reflected in four emergent themes: (i) provider‐centered factors, (ii) patient‐centered factors, (iii) clinic‐centered factors and (iv) community‐centered factors. Participants described barriers to establish routine IPV assessment, decrease patient ambivalence and increase on‐site support and community resources. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: This study aimed to generate a greater understanding of the experiences of health‐care providers with screening for and addressing IPV with MSFW patients. Implications and recommendations for research, clinical practice and policy are provided.