Scoping review of healthcare professionals' views on intimate partner violence in the Middle East and North Africa

Objectives: This scoping review aims to survey healthcare providers (HCPs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) about their knowledge, attitudes and barriers to working with women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). This review aims to map the breadth of available peer-reviewed literature that may inform future educational training programmes.

Design: Scoping review.

Data sources: The scoping review included studies up to December 2023 from PUBMED, Medline, COCHRANE, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO and Arabic medical journals.

Eligibility criteria: Selected articles were restricted to those carried out in the MENA region, available in full text and with no date restrictions.

Data extraction and synthesis: Data were extracted from all studies to include research location, year of publication, type of journal, methodology, design, participants, knowledge, attitudes and barriers. By charting the information into a table, the data were analysed using frequency, counts and descriptive content analysis.

Results: Of the 1060 articles reviewed, 29 eligible studies were included in this scoping review. 27% of the articles reported HCPs' lack of knowledge about IPV protocols. The dominant attitude reported was a preference to treat the presenting health complaint and avoid discussing IPV. Finally, 30% of articles reported HCPs' lack of training as the main barrier.

Conclusion: Our paper concluded that there is a lack of research in understanding the knowledge, attitudes and barriers surrounding HCPs in the MENA region and IPV. This scoping review highlights the need for further research, informed interventions and training for HCPs in the region.