Intimate Partner Violence Screening Tool Research Articles

Intimate Partner Violence Screening in a Pregnant Military Population: Implementation of the E-HITS Protocol [ID 2683442

INTRODUCTION: The military population has higher rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) compared to the civilian population. This is further exacerbated in obstetrics patients, with an estimated rate of 4–29% of pregnant women affected. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and 2018 Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Pregnancy recommend routine screening for IPV at obstetric visits, although a preferred screening modality has not been identified. METHODS: The prevalence of IPV in pregnancy before and after implementation of the validated Extended-Hurt, Insult, Threaten, Scream (E-HITS) questionnaire at a single military treatment facility was compared. Retrospective chart review was conducted between January and December 2019 of patients who had been screened using a single question (“Do you feel safe at home?”). E-HITS was implemented in the obstetrics clinic in February 2022, and data were collected prospectively for 12 months. The difference between the two IPV screening modalities was analyzed using Fisher’s exact test. RESULTS: A total of 1,627 IPV screenings were reviewed. Of the 783 IPV screenings using the single question, there were 2 positive screens (0.26%). Using greater than 7 as the positive screening cutoff, there were 24 positives (2.84%) out of the 844 E-HITS screenings. Using greater than 6 as the cutoff for E-HITS, there were 54 positive screens (6.4%). There was a statistically significant difference in the detection rate between the two modalities at both cutoff levels (P<.0001). CONCLUSION: E-HITS is a more sensitive screening tool for IPV in this population, more closely mirroring previously published rates.

Are We Screening the Wrong Person?: A Scoping Review on Screening Men for Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence [ID 2683612

INTRODUCTION: The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) currently does not recommend screening men for perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) because of a lack of evidence. Screening women for victimization of IPV has demonstrated limited effectiveness; screening potential perpetrators may be a more useful strategy for the identification and prevention of IPV. The objective of this study is to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to recommend screening men for perpetration of IPV. METHODS: We performed a scoping review to identify studies that screen for male perpetration of IPV. We included peer-reviewed, full-text English-language studies that screened men for perpetration of IPV or evaluated an IPV screening tool. Review articles, meta-analysis papers, and studies that only screened women were excluded. RESULTS: Of the 834 studies reviewed, the primary objective of 12.1% of studies was determining the prevalence of male perpetration of IPV. The most commonly used screening tools for IPV were the Conflict Tactic Scale (CTS) (23.1%) or CTS-2 (29.0%). The 10th to 90th percentile of reported physical IPV perpetration ranged from 8.10% to 44.40% with a median of 21.80%. CONCLUSION: There is an abundance of studies examining male perpetration of IPV, and most use the CTS or CTS-2. These studies indicate that it is feasible to assess men for perpetration of IPV; however, the length of the available questionnaires is prohibitive toward use in a medical setting. We recommend a shorter version of the CTS-2 be developed and validated for use in clinical settings.

Risks of Severe Assault and Intimate Partner Homicide among Transgender and Gender Diverse Intimate Partner Violence Survivors: Preliminary Findings from Community Listening Sessions.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an epidemic among transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people. However, intimate partner homicide (IPH) among TGD people is under researched. Thus, thematic content analysis was used to describe and examine antecedents of severe assault and IPH among TGD adults who have experienced IPV (N = 13), via community listening sessions. While some themes resembled known severe assault and IPH risks among cisgender women, several themes were unique to TGD people and should be considered when safety planning with TGD individuals or adapting IPV screening tools for this population.

Screening for Brain Injury Sustained in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV): Measure Development and Preliminary Utility of the Brain Injury Screening Questionnaire IPV Module.

Abstract Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with risk for multi-etiology brain injury (BI), including repetitive head impacts, isolated traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and anoxic/hypoxic injury secondary to nonfatal strangulation (NFS). IPV-related injuries are often unreported, but evidence suggests that survivors are more likely to report when asked directly. There are currently no validated tools for screening of brain injury related to IPV that meet World Health Organization guidelines for this population. Here, we describe measure development methods and preliminary utility of the Brain Injury Screening Questionnaire IPV (BISQ-IPV) module. We culled items from existing IPV and TBI screening tools and sought two rounds of stakeholder feedback regarding content coverage, terminology, and safety of administration. The resulting stakeholder-informed BISQ-IPV module is a seven-item self-report measure that uses contextual cues (e.g., being shoved, shaken, strangled) to query lifetime history of IPV-related head/neck injury. We introduced the BISQ-IPV module into the Late Effects of TBI (LETBI) study to investigate rates of violent and IPV-specific head/neck injury reporting in a TBI sample. Among those who completed the BISQ-IPV module (n = 142), 8% of the sample (and 20% of women) reported IPV-related TBI, and 15% of the sample (34% of women) reported IPV-related head or neck injury events that did not result in loss or alteration of consciousness. No men reported NFS; one woman reported inferred BI secondary to NFS, and 6% of women reported NFS events. Those who endorsed IPV-BI were all women, many were highly educated, and many reported low incomes. We then compared reporting of violent TBIs and head/neck injury events among individuals who completed the core BISQ wherein IPV is not specifically queried (administered from 2015-2018; n = 156) to that of individuals who completed the core BISQ preceded by the BISQ-IPV module (BISQ+IPV, administered from 2019-2021; n = 142). We found that 9% of those who completed the core BISQ reported violent TBI (e.g., abuse, assault), whereas 19% of those who completed the BISQ+IPV immediately preceding the core BISQ reported non-IPV-related violent TBI on the core BISQ. These findings suggest that standard TBI screening tools are inadequate for identifying IPV-BI and structured cueing of IPV-related contexts yields greater reporting of both IPV- and non-IPV-related violent BI. When not queried directly, IPV-BI remains a hidden variable in TBI research studies.

Cross-cultural adaptation of an intimate partner violence screening tool (WAST) for the Mozambican context; implications for more effective HIV prevention and treatment counseling

This article aims to translate and carry out the cross-cultural adaptation of the WAST - Woman Abuse Screening Tool, designed in English and used to track violence by an intimate partner. For adaptation, the conceptual equivalence of terms and semantics between the original version in English and the version translated into Portuguese was evaluated, the result of two translations and back-translation, discussion by a panel of experts, establishment of the preliminary version and finally testing in 88 participants of both sexes, selected in two health units at the level of primary health care. The cross-cultural adaptation resulted in an equivalence of concepts and semantics between the initial translation and the final back-translation. From the testing it was concluded that the version of WAST translated and adapted to the Mozambican context, has good internal consistency, the scales of WAST-Short (α = 0.813) such as those of IPV or WAST-Long (α = 0.834) are highly related. The two scales do not discriminate between men and women (WAST-Short p = 0.204, WAST-Long p = 0.271). Implications are discussed for more effective HIV prevention and treatment counseling.

Self-esteem in the context of intimate partner violence: A concept analysis.

To explore the meaning of self-esteem in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV is a preventable public health issue. The dynamic of IPV diminishes women's self-esteem. Defining self-esteem will guide the development of IPV interventions in healthcare settings. Walker and Avant's eight-step approach was used. The search was conducted from Oxford Dictionary of English online, CINAHL, APA PsycInfo, PubMed, Women's Studies International, and Google Scholar. No limits on the year of publication were applied. Defining attributes of self-esteem are self-concept, self-affirmation, and self-respect. Antecedents of self-esteem are exposure to IPV and victim-blaming attitudes by healthcare professionals. Consequences include depression, substance abuse, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Empirical referents include self-worth, self-competence, self-blame, self-evaluation, self-confidence, and self-determination. Current literature is limited in its definition of self-esteem in the context of IPV. Women experiencing IPV with low self-esteem might not seek help for IPV from nurses. Nurses could develop culturally appropriate IPV screening tools that assess the changes in self-esteem among women from different sociodemographic and cultural backgrounds. The defining attributes could contribute to developing comprehensive IPV screening tools in healthcare settings.

Intimate Partner Violence Screening in Perinatal Facilities Throughout Parkview Health

Background and Objective: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, and controlling behaviors perpetrated by a current or former partner or spouse and can compromise maternal and neonatal health if occurring during the perinatal period. Standardized IPV screening has not been universally implemented in pregnant populations. This study aims to assess the current state of IPV screening in perinatal facilities within Parkview health.
 Methods: Five maternal healthcare providers were recruited for semi-structured interviews assessing the current IPV screening practices. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were qualitatively analyzed via the framework method, applying an inductive approach. Themes focused on the processes associated with IPV screening within the Women’s and Children’s service line at Parkview Health.
 Results: Participants described having minimal access to data associated with IPV. They addressed barriers to screening such as time constraints and feelings of judgement. IPV screening occurs at least once during the pregnancy, though frequency and timing is variable between facilities. Participants were unaware if IPV screening tools currently being used have been validated. Screening for IPV is less prioritized than screening for other social determinants of health. Participants favor standardization of IPV screening but believe the patients’ narratives may be compromised if nuances of need are not addressed.
 Conclusion and Potential Implications: This study revealed IPV screening in pregnant women is not standardized at Parkview, and these findings are consistent with those reported in literature. Standardization of this process may lead to improved maternal and neonatal health outcomes. The findings of this study can be used to inform an intervention to increase IPV screening of perinatal patients and subsequently improving health outcomes. IPV screening can be improved by adopting a team-based effort to streamline screening processes. Facilities should also decide how often screening occurs and how the patient’s needs are prioritized.

Brief Report: Turkish Validity and Reliability of the HITS Intimate Partner Violence Screening Tool With Women.

The current study examined the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the HITS (Hurt-Insult-Threaten-Scream) tool which was developed to screen for intimate partner violence. 154 Turkish women participated and completed the Turkish version of the HITS (HITS-TR). The validity of the language and factor structure were evaluated. The internal consistency coefficient of the scale was.89. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), revealed a single factor structure consisting of four items that explained 76% of the total variance. A CFA was performed with a modified model upon a second sample indicating high compatibility for the revised model with χ2/df = 1.262, a root mean square error of approximation.036, goodness of fit index of.996, adjusted goodness of fit index.998, root mean square residual of.006 and standardized root mean square residual of.008. It is concluded that the HITS-TR can be used as a valid and reliable screening tool for intimate partner violence in Turkish women.

How accurate and effective are screening tools and subsequent interventions for intimate partner violence in non-high-risk settings (IPV)? A rapid review

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to estimate the accuracy and effectiveness of screening tools and subsequent interventions in the detection and treatment of intimate partner violence (IPV) in non-high-risk settings (defined here as those in which routine IPV screening does not take place in the UK, such as in general practice). Design/methodology/approach Rapid review as defined by Grant and Booth – it is used under time or financial constraint to assess what is known using systematic review methods. Medline, PsycINFO, Embase and Cochrane Library databases to May 2019 were searched for “intimate partner violence” and synonyms plus terms related to screening and interventions. A Medline update was performed in August 2020. Data were extracted with the help of a predesigned tool and were synthesised to answer the two study aims. Data were mixed quantitative and qualitative. Findings The search yielded 10 relevant papers on screening (6 on accuracy and 4 on effectiveness) and 13 on intervention. These showed evidence of the effectiveness of simple screening tools and of subsequent interventions. However, the evidence was insufficient to support a change in UK guidelines which currently do not recommend their use outside of current high-risk environments. Originality/value Clinicians outside of high-risk areas should consider the use of some IPV screening tools and interventions but only within research protocols to gather further evidence.

Intimate Partner Violence Screening Tools in Emergency Departments: A Scoping Review

This study aims to identify and review the characteristics and uses of family violence screening tools in emergency departments (EDs) because such screenings have been observed to be implemented irregularly and inconsistently across EDs. This study is important because it provides ED clinicians with an overview and appraisal of several family violence screening tools. This study used a scoping review systematically over six databases, finding 12 suitable studies. The themes identified were (i) how family violence screening tools are used, (ii) what the barriers to implementing screening for family violence were, and (iii) what factors facilitated screening for family violence. A combination of reasons included lack of useful screening tools, training for family violence screening, privacy, time, and language barriers that hindered the use of screening for family violence. It was suggested that a beneficial screening tool and clinician support would facilitate the screening of family violence in EDs.

Screening for Interpersonal Violence: Missed Opportunities and Potential Harms

Screening for interpersonal violence is used in healthcare settings to identify patients experiencing violence. However, using unvalidated screening tools may misclassify patients' experience with violence. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation adapted a previously validated intimate partner violence screening tool for use in assessing interpersonal violence and retained the tool's original scoring rubric, despite the new tool's broader scope. This study evaluates the scoring system for detecting safety concerns. This was a cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of adult patients and caregivers of pediatric patients at 7 primary care clinics and 4 emergency departments (2018-2019). Surveys included the adapted 4-item Hurt Insult Threat Scream tool. Questions are scored by frequency on a Likert scale (1=never; 5=frequently). Scores of 11-20 are considered positive for safety concerns. Two-sided Fisher's exact tests were used for descriptive analyses. Data analyses occurred in 2019-2020. Of 1,014 participants, 66 (6.5%) reported any frequency of physical violence. Of these, 54 (81.8%) did not reach the threshold score of 11. Of the 1,014 participants, 93 (9.2%) reported any frequency of physical violence or being threatened with harm; 76 of 93 participants (81.7%) scored <11. Using the original scoring criteria for the adapted Hurt Insult Threat Scream, >80% of participants reporting physical violence did not screen positive for potential safety concerns. The scoring criteria did not reliably identify participants experiencing or at high risk for violence. To improve patient safety, the adapted Hurt Insult Threat Scream scoring rubric should be updated on the basis of stakeholder input and additional validation studies.

Prospective intimate partner violence screening tool for use in primary healthcare facilities

The study piloted an intimate partner violence (IPV) screening tool for use with female patients by professional nurses in primary health facilities. Utilising a one group, pre-test post-test design, one hundred and twenty-eight participants completed the pre-test measure (all females; age range = 40 to 50 years; with 15< years of work experience). As part of the study, they completed a brief 20-minute training session in IPV screening. Following the 20-minute training, the participants were provided with the IPV screening tool to use for a period of three-months. Sixty-three participants completed the post-test (all females; age range = 40 to 50 years; 11 to 15 years of work experience). At post-test, the nurses scored marginally higher on knowledge about IPV (n1 = 128, 8,17±8,83) as well as on practices (such as screening for IPV: n2 =63, 2,44±2,68). Although the training effect was indiscernible, nurses trained in IPV screening would provide better quality care to female patients at risk for IPV compared to those without training.

Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy: Effects of Maternal Depression Symptoms and Parenting on Teen Depression Symptoms.

Past studies have indicated that mothers who are victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) have a greater risk of developing depression symptoms. Furthermore, existing literature provides evidence that children's mental health can be affected by their mother's mental health well past infancy and early childhood. Given this, children of IPV victims are particularly at risk of developing depression symptoms. Guided by trauma theory, the ecobiodevelopmental (EBD) framework, and social learning theory, this study investigates the long-term relationship between maternal IPV victimization during pregnancy and teen depression symptoms. This study utilizes longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine the relationship between IPV during pregnancy and maternal depression symptoms at early childhood, as well as the mechanism by which maternal depression symptoms affect child depression symptoms in the adolescent stage of development. The findings indicate that mothers who were victims of IPV during pregnancy were more likely to have depression symptoms when children turned 3 and that maternal depression symptoms could directly predict children's depression symptoms at age 15. Meanwhile, maternal depression symptoms could indirectly increase adolescent depression symptoms via physical punishment at age 5 and bullying victimization at age 9. While extensive evidence has shown that IPV during pregnancy has detrimental effects on mothers and children, our study adds to the literature that such detriments can last as long as a decade. Given that depression symptoms can be detrimental to later development, the findings call for universal and comprehensive IPV screening tools and swift service referrals for pregnant women who are experiencing IPV. At the same time, trauma-informed parenting education for women, along with school- and community-based interventions for children, may also mitigate these harmful associations.

Ethiopian Health Care Workers' Insights into and Responses to Intimate Partner Violence in Pregnancy-A Qualitative Study.

Violence against women is a global pandemic, with the potential to spread through generations. Intimate partner violence has impacts on women’s sexual, reproductive, and psycho-social health. It can occur during pregnancy and adversely affect the health of both mother and child. Health care workers involved in antenatal care can have a unique role in identifying intimate partner violence and in intervening, preventing, and mitigating its consequences. In this study, the objective was to explore Ethiopian health care workers’ insights of and responses to intimate partner violence in pregnancy. Using an exploratory design, this qualitative study includes ten semi-structured interviews of health care workers representing different antenatal care centers in Jimma, Ethiopia. The content analyses of translated interview notes were conducted with Atlas.ti7 software, (Atlas.ti Scientific Software Development Gmbh, Berlin). The health care workers shared their insights of the consequences of intimate partner violence during pregnancy in addition to their experience with and responses to the victims. There was a limited understanding of the extent of the adverse impacts of intimate partner violence on pregnancy outcomes, as well as the potential long-term health implications. The informants described how they only gave medical treatment for obstetric complications or visible trauma during pregnancy. There was no formal referral to or linkages with other resources. Women’s empowerment and systemic changes in the health care, including training and capacity building, clear guidelines addressing management of intimate partner violence in pregnancy, and inclusion of intimate partner violence screening tools in the Ethiopian antenatal care chart/card, were recommended by the informants. The adverse impacts of intimate partner violence on pregnancy outcomes were poorly understood by the Ethiopian health care workers in this study. They offered limited assistance to the victims and recommended changes in the routine antenatal care (ANC) and health care systems. They identified various policy initiatives focusing on women’s empowerment to reduce intimate partner violence and its complications especially during pregnancy.

Assessing Intimate Partner Violence in South Asian Women Using the Index of Spouse Abuse.

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) affects 21-40% of South Asian (SA) women in the United States. No screening tool has been validated in this population. This study sought to determine the validity of the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA) as an IPV screening tool and to determine the prevalence of IPV among a SA immigrant population. Thirty-one percent of women screened positive on one or both ISA scales. The ISA-P and ISA-NP items were highly reliable as was the correlation between the ISA-P and ISA-NP scores. The ISA is a valid and reliable IPV screening tool in the SA immigrant population.

Improving Provider Readiness for Intimate Partner Violence Screening.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue. Healthcare providers (e.g., nurses, advanced practice nurses, physicians, social workers) have a unique opportunity to prevent and reduce IPV through screening and referral. The objective of this project was to determine the impact of education and a brief screening tool integrated into the electronic medical record (EMR) on readiness to screen for IPV. An intervention was implemented that included the EMR integration of a screening tool, creation of an automated resource telephone system and healthcare provider IPV screening and response education. Readiness for screening was evaluated pre- and postintervention using the Domestic Violence Health Care Provider Survey Scale (DVHCPSS), which is scored cumulatively and by each of six domains. An unpaired Student's t test was performed. Mean age (31-40years of age) and years of clinical practice (11-15years) was the same for pre- (n=96) and postintervention (n=83) survey respondents. There was an overall significant increase in screening readiness (p=.003) with significant improvement in "professional role resistance/fear of offending the patient" (p<.0001), "blame victim items" (p=.0029), "perceived self-efficacy" (p=.0064), and "victim/provider safety" (p=.003). Adopting and integrating a validated IPV screening tool into the EMR combined with education was associated with an improvement in overall readiness for IPV screening. Reducing and preventing IPV through universal screening and referral can be accomplished by embedding a standardized readily accessible validated IPV screening tool in the EMR.

A Validated Screening Instrument for Identifying Intimate Partner Violence in South Asian Immigrant Women.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) for South Asian immigrants is prevalent and has many unique sociodemographic and cultural factors associated with it. Current screening instruments do not address the unique cultural factors associated with IPV in this population. The South Asian Violence Screen (SAVS) is a 14-item screening tool for IPV designed based on the specific demographic and cultural issues affecting South Asian immigrant women in the United States. The tool was validated using the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA), a well-established survey instrument for detecting IPV. The participants in the study included 116 South Asian immigrant women, who were recruited from a medical clinic and two community centers in Chicago, IL. With a prevalence of 23.3% of women reporting physical abuse and 28.4% reporting nonphysical abuse, the negative predictive value of the SAVS compared with the ISA was 0.99 and 0.97 for physical abuse and nonphysical abuse, respectively. When compared with the ISA-physical, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.96 and 0.87, respectively, and when compared with the ISA-nonphysical, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.94 and 0.92, respectively. This study demonstrates that the SAVS is an effective and efficient screening tool in the South Asian immigrant population in Chicago.

Effect of Educational Training Intervention on Overcoming Nurses' Barriers to Screening Intimate Partner Violence against Women in Outpatient Clinics

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is an important public health problem facing women globally. Many barriers facing nurses and other healthcare providers to screen abused women were reported in many studies. Aim: The aim of the current study had twofold; First, to examine barriers to intimate partner violence screening among nurses in outpatient clinics. Second, to evaluate the effect of an educational training intervention on nurses for barriers to intimate partner violence screening. Study design: A Quasi-experimental study was used. Setting: The study was conducted in outpatient clinics at two hospitals (University Hospital and Education Hospital in Shebin El-Kom City. Menoufia Governorate, Egypt). Subjects: Seventy-five nurses who completed the educational training intervention were included according to power analysis estimation. Tools: Self-administered questionnaire to examine the barriers for IPV screening among nurses which consisted of two parts: part 1: demographic data of studied nurses and part 2: The Domestic Violence Health Care Provider Survey instrument to investigate the barriers to IPV screening among nurses. Results: Nurses reported several sources of barriers based on the DVHCPS instrument items including self-efficacy, system support, victim blaming, professional role resistance, and victim provider safety. There was a highly statistically significant difference regarding barriers to IPV screening (P<0.001) and screening examination rate was increased by nurses (P<0.001) after the implementation of the educational training intervention. Conclusion: This study highlights the beneficial effect of the educational training intervention as an effective method in reducing the barriers for IPV screening among nurses for women attending the outpatient clinics; improving the rate of screening and periodical examination of nurses regarding IPV. Recommendation: In-service training courses for nurses on current updates regarding intimate partner violence screening examination technique, regular training for nurses about intimate partner violence screening tool in-addition, IPV protocol management for abused women attending outpatient clinics.

Investigating the Reliability and Validity of an Intimate Partner Violence Screening Tool for Use in Physical Therapy Practice

We conducted a study to investigate the reliability and validity of a newly developed IPV screening tool. The literature shows that victims of intimate partner violence identify health-care practitioners as potential sources of support. Meanwhile health care professionals are often unprepared to identify and help victims appropriately. Our survey addressed psychosocial, socio-economic and physical constructs influencing prevalence and screening accuracy for IPV. Four experts in the fields of social sciences, education, and physical therapy gave feedback on the survey content validity. A rubric was designed to determine construct validity and inter-rater reliability. The new IPV screening tool was shown to have strong inter-rater reliability (ICC=0.71,p<0.001), internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha=.80-1.0 for all constructs,p<0.001), construct validity, concurrent validity, and percent agreement (88.9-100%) among a expert panel of four qualified health professionals, including two licensed physical therapists and two licensed social workers with expertise in women’s health issues.

P125: Willingness of ED staff to implement a brief intimate partner violence case-finding tool

Introduction: Domestic violence (DV) rates in smaller cities have been reported to be some of the highest in Canada. It is highly likely that emergency department staff will come across victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) in their daily practice. However, elsewhere we have found a lack of knowledge of current tools as well as lack of training in ED staff. Furthermore, these findings may also be reflected by low rates of IPV documentation, especially in high-risk cases. The purpose of the current study is to determine if ED staff would be willing to implement a brief IPV screening tool, the Partner Violence Screen (PVS) in their daily practice. It consists of the 3 questions: Have you ever been hit, kicked, punched or otherwise hurt by someone within the past year, and if so, by whom? Do you feel safe in your current relationship? Is there a partner from a previous relationship that is making you feel unsafe now? Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was distributed to ED staff (LPNs, NPs, Physicians, Residents, RNs) via staff email lists three times between July and October 2016, with a response rate of 45.9% (n=55). The survey included a 5-question Likert scale. The primary outcome was whether ED staff are willing to implement a new case-finding tool in their daily practice. The secondary outcome was to assess whether staff would find this tool beneficial in case-finding for IPV. Results: 43.6% of staff responded that they are likely to use the tool routinely, 29.1% were unsure, and 2.7% very likely. 7.27% and 3.64% stated their predicted use as unlikely and very unlikely, respectively. In addition, 43.6% of staff thought that the PVS would be beneficial in case finding for IPV, 40% were unsure, 12.7% thought very likely, 1.82% unlikely, and 1.82% very unlikely. Conclusion: These findings suggest that emergency department staff may be receptive to and find the introduction of the PVS beneficial in identifying cases of IPV. Future directions will include the introduction of this tool through a knowledge translation education piece in order improve the identification process for and awareness of a high-risk condition in a vulnerable population group.