'They can build up trust again, so that health is not such a scary place': the acceptability and feasibility of a multidisciplinary primary care outreach service for women affected by domestic, family and sexual violence

Abstract

Women and children experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence in Australia face barriers to accessing primary care. To overcome these barriers, a proactive and integrated primary care outreach service for women and their children was piloted on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. This study explored the acceptability and feasibility of the service from the perspective of service providers and women using the service. Eight service providers and six women who had used the service were interviewed. Different aspects of service feasibility were explored and the Levesque's Conceptual Framework of Access to Health was used to investigate the service's acceptability. Four overarching themes relating to the service's acceptability and feasibility were identified: (1) Delivering trauma-informed care; (2) Removing barriers to care; (3) Skilled providers working collaboratively; and (4) Sustainability and expansion of the service. The service used an intensive and flexible approach to address the complex needs of clients. Key features of the model that were valued by both clients and service providers included the ability to provide care in locations that were safe and convenient to clients, provision of trauma-informed care, advocacy activities, and multidisciplinary care. Communication among providers was seen as key to the model's success.