A woman breaking free from medical textbooks, symbolizing transformed medical education.

Violence Against Women in Healthcare: Why Medical Training Needs to Change

Kai Mendoza in Health & Wellness August 2025 • 4 min read.

"Uncover the hidden challenges and essential steps to reshape medical education for better support and care."

Healthcare settings should be safe havens, but for women who have experienced violence, these spaces can present additional challenges. While medical professionals strive to provide care, systemic issues and gaps in training can hinder their ability to offer truly supportive and effective treatment.

Research highlights a critical need for healthcare providers, particularly doctors, to be better equipped to recognize, understand, and address violence against women. Traditional medical education often overlooks the social and gendered dimensions of health, focusing instead on purely biological aspects of illness. This narrow focus can lead to missed opportunities for intervention and may even perpetuate harm.

This article explores the findings of a study examining how medical professionals perceive and respond to violence against women in their daily practice. By understanding these perceptions, we can identify key areas where medical education and training can be improved to ensure more compassionate, effective, and equitable healthcare for all women.

The Blind Spot: Gaps in Medical Training on Gender-Based Violence

A woman breaking free from medical textbooks, symbolizing transformed medical education.

A significant finding from the research is the distinct lack of comprehensive training on violence against women in medical school curricula. Many healthcare professionals reported that they only encountered the topic superficially, typically within the context of child abuse or sexual assault cases. However, these discussions often lacked a broader perspective, failing to address crucial issues such as gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

This limited exposure leaves medical professionals unprepared to address the complexities of violence against women in their practice. The curriculum's traditional focus on a health-disease-conduct approach, rather than a holistic socio-political understanding, creates a significant gap in their ability to provide effective care.

Lack of specialized training leads to discomfort and avoidance of the issue.
Perpetuates a fragmented approach to care, where social issues are disconnected from medical treatment.
Reinforces a biomedical perspective that overlooks the root causes of violence.

Without adequate training, healthcare providers may struggle to recognize the signs of abuse, ask appropriate questions, or offer meaningful support. This can result in missed opportunities to intervene and connect women with the resources they need. As one resident physician noted, cases of violence rarely present directly; rather, they emerge during routine consultations.

Transforming Healthcare: A Path Forward

The research underscores the urgent need to transform medical education to incorporate comprehensive training on violence against women. This includes integrating gender perspectives, addressing social determinants of health, and fostering critical reflection on personal biases and assumptions.

Creating safe spaces for healthcare professionals to process their emotional responses and share their experiences is also crucial. Institutions must prioritize the well-being of their staff, providing access to supervision, mentorship, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Ultimately, addressing violence against women in healthcare requires a multi-faceted approach that challenges power imbalances, promotes equity, and empowers both providers and patients. By prioritizing education, fostering empathy, and transforming institutional practices, we can create a healthcare system that truly supports the well-being of all women.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1590/s0104-12902011000100015, Alternate LINK

Title: A Violência Contra Mulher No Cotidiano Dos Serviços De Saúde: Desafios Para A Formação Médica

Subject: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Journal: Saúde e Sociedade

Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)

Authors: Claudia Mara Pedrosa, Mary Jane Paris Spink

Published: 2011-03-01

Everything You Need To Know

Why is medical training on violence against women important?

The traditional medical education often has gaps regarding the topic of violence against women. It often focuses on biological aspects of illness. This means that the social and gendered dimensions of health, crucial for understanding and addressing violence against women, are often overlooked. The research shows healthcare providers are not being properly equipped to recognize, understand, and address violence against women.

What are the implications of the gaps in medical training regarding violence against women?

The implications of this lack of training are significant. First, healthcare providers may be uncomfortable or avoid addressing violence against women. Second, it perpetuates a fragmented approach to care where social issues are disconnected from medical treatment. Third, it reinforces a biomedical perspective that overlooks the root causes of violence. These factors contribute to missed opportunities for intervention and can hinder women from receiving the support they need.

What specific challenges exist in medical training concerning violence against women?

The specific challenges identified include a lack of comprehensive training on violence against women in medical school curricula. Many healthcare professionals encounter the topic superficially, typically within the context of child abuse or sexual assault cases. Discussions often lack a broader perspective, failing to address issues like gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. This limited exposure leaves medical professionals unprepared to address the complexities of violence against women.

How can medical education be improved to better address violence against women?

To transform healthcare, medical education must incorporate comprehensive training on violence against women. This includes integrating gender perspectives to understand the social and gendered dimensions of health. It also involves addressing social determinants of health like race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, and fostering critical reflection on personal biases and assumptions.

Why is it crucial to address the issue of violence against women in healthcare?

This is important because healthcare settings should be safe havens for women. However, systemic issues and gaps in training can hinder medical professionals' ability to provide effective treatment. By improving medical education to address violence against women, healthcare providers can offer more compassionate, effective, and equitable healthcare for all women, intervening and connecting them with necessary resources.