Barriers to Domestic Violence Disclosure in Healthcare Settings: A Scoping Review of Victim and Provider Perspectives

Why this matters to craniofacial trauma practice. Facial injuries are among the most visible markers of domestic violence — yet disclosure remains rare. This scoping review, from the QMUL team, maps the full landscape of barriers that prevent victims from speaking and healthcare professionals from asking. For OMFS and craniofacial trauma surgeons seeing high volumes of assault-related injury, the practical and training implications are direct: privacy at the workstation, awareness of abuser presence, and gender-inclusive screening matter as much in the trauma clinic as anywhere in healthcare.