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Addressing Violence Through Patient Care

Learn about the vital role that health workers play in violence prevention and peace-building in clinical environments.

4,275 enrolled on this course

Case 1: The bomb at the hospital
  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Understand the methods and importance of medical peace work

On this course you will learn about some of the key concepts and challenges in the field of medical peace work, particularly the importance of violence prevention and peace practice for healthcare professionals.

You will cover aspects of theory, field work and advocacy focusing on working with domestic violence, refugee healthcare and healing torture victims. In each case you will consider the specific challenges of treating these victims of violence and the role you play in helping them.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 9 seconds As health professionals we care for the life, health and well-being of our patients. Violence, weapons and war cause enormous suffering and misery and endanger what is important for us. As health care professionals often meet both the victims and perpetrators of violence, we have a unique role in preventing violence and building more peaceful societies. My name is Ingvild Fossgard Sandøy, and I am Adi Vyas. This MOOC has been made by the University of Bergen in collaboration with the European Medical Peace Work partnership. Together we’ll introduce you to the key concepts, opportunities and dilemmas in medical peace work.

Skip to 0 minutes and 57 seconds Domestic violence affects the health and well-being of many of our patients. In the first week we will learn how health professionals can assist victims of domestic violence, and how domestic violence can be prevented. In the second week we discuss some of the barriers to healthcare for refugees and asylum seekers, and how they may be overcome.

Skip to 1 minute and 25 seconds In the third week, we will focus on the needs of a particularly vulnerable group, those who have been victims of torture. How can health professionals recognize the signs and symptoms of torture and what can they do for these patients? So, join us, as we explore these important global health issues, through the lens of public health and peace practice.

What topics will you cover?

1) Three case studies demonstrate how health professionals can:

  • Recognise and respond to domestic violence in clinical practice.
  • Provide appropriate healthcare for refugees.
  • Recognise and help in healing victims of torture.

2) Basic concepts in Medical Peace Work, including:

  • Forms of violence: direct, structural, and cultural
  • Hierarchies of violence: collective, interpersonal, and self-induced
  • Levels of violence: mega, macro, meso, and micro
  • Preventing violence
  • Understanding peace as the negation of violence
  • Risks and limitations of medical peace work

We also offer a course called Global Health, Conflict and Violence which you may be interested in. These courses combined contain material from our previous course Medical Peace Work.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Describe how conflict, violence, and peace are related to health
  • Assess and respond to signs of domestic violence or torture in clinical practice
  • Design healthcare for refugees and in conflict areas

Who is the course for?

This course has been created for people with some experience in healthcare. It is particularly relevant to clinical healthcare professionals working in medicine, nursing, and allied health.

Who will you learn with?

Professor of Public Health at the University of Bergen. Research interests: sexual and reproductive health; interpersonal violence. Teaching: Public Health, Medical Peace work, Epidemiology

Deputy Chief Medical Officer in the City of Bergen, Norway. Specialty: Community medicine. Doctorate: Occupational medicine. Master's degree: Peace and conflict transformation. Coordinator of MPW3.

Who developed the course?

University of Bergen

The University of Bergen (UiB) offers first-class education and cutting-edge research at our location in the city centre of Bergen, Norway.

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  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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