Organizational and systems-level barriers and facilitators to health professionals’ readiness to address domestic and sexualized violence: a qualitative study from Nova Scotia, Canada

Our results provide important insights into current organizational and systems-level barriers and facilitators for responding to domestic and sexualized violence among Canadian health professionals. Government and organizational policy should more clearly define how domestic and sexualized violence is within scope of practice for different health professionals, with appropriate, ongoing training and resourcing. Likewise, structural causes of violence must be recognized, both in terms of identifying and supporting patients and communities at greatest risk and creating opportunities for the health sector to be a part of primary prevention efforts.