Helping GPs respond to family violence
Dr Jan Coles
Dr Jan Coles, an academic general practitioner in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, has become only the second Australian GP to be featured by WONCA (World Organisation of Family Doctors).
The feature on her work in the field of family violence comes as a result of Dr Coles’ work to ensure that doctors and health professionals are better prepared to respond to family violence by improving the training of undergraduates and health professionals.
Dr Coles has written an article for WONCA news about the work of the Special Interest Group on Family Violence. Establish in Prague in 2013, the group focuses on providing effective responses to family violence for GPs but also for other medical professionals such as nurses, social workers and midwives.
Having practised medicine for more than 25 years, Dr Coles’ personal experiences speaking to patients led her to become interested in sexual and family violence and to pursue medical education and advocacy work.
“It was one young mother who was having difficulty holding and caring for her young son that opened my eyes to severe lifelong consequences of childhood sexual abuse,” Dr Coles said.
As a medical educator, Dr Coles has worked in primary care disciplines with University partners across Australia to develop an open access online learning module on family violence. The education resource will soon be available at Monash PACTS.
“One of my greatest achievements was taking a problem I saw in my clinic, adding to medical knowledge in the area, and working with WONCA to advocate to improve family violence education for doctors so that patients can access better care," she said. "This is even more important now that the World Health Organization has recognised that primary health care providers are often the first professional contact for survivors.
“This year WONCA, with the World Medical Association and Medical Women International Association, took a document to the 67th World Health Assembly, which documented the care needed by women and girls who have experienced violence. I was amazed and proud that as a family doctor I could see an issue with my patients and work to influence international policy.”
WONCA is a global organisation of colleges, academies and academic associations of general practitioners and family physicians.
The previous Australian to be profiled by WONCA was also a Monash graduate – Professor John Murtagh.