Jolie calls for addressing domestic violence health inequities

Actor Angelina Jolie penned an editorial urging nurses and forensic examiners to be aware of how bruises present differently in patients with darker skin tone to avoid missing injuries. Writing in the July issue of the American Journal of Nursing, Jolie describes how detecting bruises by sight in natural light can miss injuries in survivors of color. However, using a handheld light that relies on violet light with a yellow lens is five times more effective at detecting bruising than white light, as much as four weeks after injury. She states abuse survivors of color are less likely to have their injuries properly identified and documented, are at higher risk for further abuse and have less chance to receive justice or medical care.