Domestic violence education: its place in pharmacy

Community pharmacists are frequently “an underutilised resource” in the management of domestic violence (DV), said Dr Suzanne Caliph, a community pharmacist and co-author of a recent study that conducted interviews with pharmacy practitioner educators to identify the challenges and opportunities associated with DV education in pharmacy curriculum.

“They have the potential to play a significant role in identifying signs of DV, offering support, and connecting patients with appropriate resources and services,” Caliph said. As the most accessible healthcare providers, community pharmacists are uniquely positioned to identify and support individuals affected by DV. However, training in this area is often lacking in pharmacy education.

This study, by a team of researchers from Monash’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, highlights community accessibility to pharmacists as a primary reason to better prepare the profession to support individuals experiencing DV. But, as the study also highlights, there are several challenges that the profession faces, which was raised by the interviews.

Challenges include a lack of confidence, insufficient training, and ethical and legal concerns regarding pharmacists’ roles in DV cases. Those interviewed suggested that students should be trained to recognise, refer and seek guidance from professionals specifically trained to support DV-affected individuals.

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‘Integrating domestic violence education into the pharmacy curriculum’, a 2025 paper about this research, has been published open access in Pharmacy and you can read it at doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy13010008.

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Support is available for people experiencing violence and abuse. 1800RESPECT has a 24/7 support service, please call 1800 737 732.

Image credit: iStock.com/FatCamera