GPs want to help patients who are victims of family violence but can struggle with uncertainty about what to do, a GP expert says.

Dr Wei-May Su, chair of the RACGP Specific Interests Abuse and Violence in Families group, says that GPs sometimes realised retrospectively that they may not have recognised signs of family violence.

“One of the conversations we discuss at every conference is that sometimes GPs are still recognising what it looks like when someone affected by abuse and violence, or someone who is using abuse and violence, presents in a consult,” she told AusDoc at the RACGP conference in Perth last month.

She said the RACGP’s White Book was a good starting place for GPs who wanted support around responding to family violence, but the biggest difference came from having a network that could provide advice.