Mandatory Reporting

In general, the majority of states do not include adults (unless they are considered “vulnerable adults”) as someone for whom a mandatory report must be made. In fact, reporting abuse of a non-vulnerable adult may violate confidentiality laws since depending on the profession’s specific rules around mandated reporting, the professional may have specific confidentiality obligations in regards to adult patients. Also, a victim of abuse should generally be able to decide whether or not it’s safe to report the abuse – sometimes is safer not to report to authorities.

There are generally exceptions though if the domestic violence causes a gunshot wound or other specific type of wound that the doctor is required to report to their state authorities.

I did a bit of research to look up STATE’s mandatory reporting laws for adults. [GOOGLE MANDATORY REPORTING FOR DOCTORS AND THE STATE NAME TO SEE WHAT YOU FIND - THIS IS WHAT I HAD FOR WASHINGTON STATE: What I found relates to vulnerable adults and the mandatory reporting requirements for them.] I also found this “report card” from the Victim Rights Law Center that lays out the mandatory reporting requirements for STATE [ GO HERE AND THEN CLICK TO THE PERSON’S STATE http://4e5ae7d17e.nxcli.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Mandatory-Reporting-of-Non-Accidental-Injury-Statutes-by-State.pdf.] However, before relying upon this in your actual practice, you should talk to your state licensing board or other professionals to confirm this information. You may also be able to seek assistance from the American Medical Association. Many state and national organizations offer information and advice around members’ professional obligations. You can also see this piece from the AMA Journal of Ethics about the ethics of requiring mandatory reporting of domestic violence.

PERSON’S NAME, some food for thought: extending exceptions to adult (non-vulnerable) survivors of domestic violence and requiring reports to be made about their abuse may cause them greater harm. You can read more about this issue at “Mandatory Reporting of Domestic Violence to Law Enforcement by Health Care Providers: A Guide for Advocates Working to Respond to or Amend Reporting Laws Related to Domestic Violence” from Futures Without Violence.