ArticleAfrican journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence2026
Identification of gender-based violence among adult patients in the Emergency Department of Tanzania's largest public hospital: a retrospective review.
Article in African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Emergency Departments (EDs) are critical for identifying and supporting victims of gender-based violence (GBV). However, data from Sub-Saharan Africa are limited, and even in high-income settings with developed EDs, identification remains poor. This study assessed the frequency of GBV identification in the tertiary ED of Tanzania's largest public hospital and described incident characteristics. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in the ED of Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania, analyzing patients visits from January 2016 to December 2021. We reviewed electronic medical records of adult patients using a keyword-based search to identify complaints potentially related to GBV. A structured data sheet captured demographics, clinical data, and outcomes. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 25), with descriptive characteristics reported as percentages and means with standard deviations (SD). Results: Among 296,010 adult ED visits, 87 (0.03%) had GBV-related complaints. The mean age was 32 years (SD 14), and 86% were female. The most common form was sexual abuse (33%), followed by combined sexual and physical abuse (28%). In 21% of cases, a partner was identified as the perpetrator; in 63%, the perpetrator was unknown, refused to disclose or undocumented. Among 61 sexual assault victims, 77% were screened for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), 49% for syphilis, and 39% for hepatitis. Additionally, 46% received HIV prophylaxis, and 61% of female victims received emergency contraception. Only 14% received psychological consultation. Overall, 63% were admitted, with 84% still hospitalized after 24 h. Conclusion: GBV identification in this ED was extremely low. This likely reflects a combination of underreporting, low provider awareness, poor documentation, and the limitations of using a retrospective, keyword-based record review. A significant proportion involved sexual violence, with notable gaps in post-assault care. Strengthening GBV screening, management, and follow-up protocols in EDs is urgently needed. Future research should use prospective, robust designs.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.