Current Resources for Evidence‐Based Practice September/October 2012

Abstract

Screening Women for Intimate Partner Violence In a 2004 United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) report, researchers found insufficient evidence to support routine screening of women for intimate partner violence (IPV) (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 2004). More recent studies included in an updated Evidence Report have prompted important changes in recommendations (Nelson, Bougatsos, & Blazina, 2012). In this most recent update, five key questions guided the systematic review and were informed by 35 studies. The report demonstrated that the use of screening tools for IPV can accurately identify women experiencing IPV (fair to good quality evidence). While results varied by population and type of intervention (fair to good quality evidence), screening women for IPV was found to improve health outcomes by decreasing IPV. While some women may experience discomfort, loss of privacy, and concern about further abuse, in general, IPV screening was found to have minimal adverse effects (fair evidence). Results from this systematic review are congruent with recent recommendations from the Institute of Medicine’s 2011 report on Clinical Preventive Services for Women (National Research Council, 2011) that underscore the importance of screening women for IPV.