Improving the response to intimate partner violence experienced by First Nations people in the primary care setting: provider perspectives on Manitoulin Island

Abstract

Indigenous women and men living in Canada experience disproportionately high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) compared to non-Indigenous women and men, which is best explained within a colonial context. Despite the wide range of adverse physical, sexual and psychological outcomes of IPV, a coordinated approach to the phenomenon has yet to be established in the healthcare and social services system on Manitoulin Island, a region in Northeast Ontario. This project was aimed to address that gap at the primary care level through community based participatory research. Using a Grounded Theory and qualitative research approach, primary care providers (n=31) participated in focus groups and interviews to discuss their perceptions of what is required to improve the response to IPV in the primary care setting. The analysis focused on elucidating the barriers and facilitators that exist within current practices, those of which prevent or ease the delivery of care to First Nation patients who are experiencing IPV. Suggestions for culturally relevant improvements at a health care provision and community level are discussed. Further studies should include knowledge translation back into the communities on Manitoulin Island as well as the perspectives of the survivors of intimate partner violence and their perception of what can be improved within current provider practices.