Implementation of an Intimate Partner Violence Screening Assessment and Referral System in an Academic Women’s Imaging Department

Abstract

PurposeOne in five US women report that they have been victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) during their lifetime. With millions of women presenting for mammography every year, breast imaging centers may represent ideal venues to identify women at risk for IPV and refer them to appropriate support services. Our purpose was to evaluate implementation of a novel IPV screening and referral system for women presenting for mammography. MethodsA question was added to intake questionnaire (“Do you feel safe in your home?”) for adult women presenting for screening or diagnostic mammography from 2016 to 2017 at our hospital outpatient breast imaging sites. The proportion of women presenting for screening or diagnostic mammogram who felt unsafe was calculated. Bivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to compare baseline characteristics of women who stated that they felt unsafe at home versus women who did not state that they felt unsafe at home. ResultsIn all, 99,029 examinations were performed (68,158 unique patients). Of these patients, 71 stated that they felt unsafe at home (71 of 68,158, 0.1%). Women presenting for their first mammogram were more likely to report feeling unsafe at home (odds ratio 3.03, 95% confidence interval 1.31-7.06, P = .01). No differences were found in age (P = .148), ethnicity (P = .271), gravida (P = .676), parity (P = .752), age at menarche (P = .775), and history of breast cancer (P = .726). ConclusionsOur results demonstrate the feasibility of a screening and referral system for IPV in radiology departments.