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BackgroundWhile women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) face significant health consequences, their patterns of healthcare services (HCS) utilization are unclear, as are the effects of IPV screening and receiving information on these patterns. OPEN ACCESSCitation: Daoud N, Kraun L, Sergienko R, Batat N, Shoham-Vardi I, Davidovitch N, et al. (2020) Patterns of healthcare services utilization associated with intimate partner violence (IPV): Effects of IPV screening and receiving information on support services in a cohort of perinatal women. PLoS ONE 15(1): e0228088. https://doi. ResultsAny IPV and IPV types had significant associations with some HCS utilization variables, with different directions and patterns for the ethnic groups. Experiencing IPV was associated with higher HCS utilization among Arab women, lower utilization in Jewish women. Arab women experiencing IPV were twice as likely to visit a gynecologist than women not experiencing IPV (AOR (95% CI) was 2.00, 1.14-3.51 for any IPV; 2.17, 1.23-3.81 for emotional and/or verbal IPV, and 1.83, 1.04-3.22, for social and economic IPV). Among Jewish women, experiencing any IPV was associated with lower likelihood of emergency-room visits (0.62, 0.41-0.93); and experiencing physical and/or sexual IPV was associated with lower likelihood of family physician visits (OR = 0.20, 0.05-0.82). Both IPV screening and receiving information were associated with lower HCS utilization among Arab women only. ConclusionsDifferent HCS utilization patterns among women who reported experiencing versus not experiencing IPV in different ethnic groups suggest complex relationships that hinge on how HCS address women's needs, starting with IPV screening and providing information. This might inform tailored programs to tackle IPV at the HCS, particularly for minority women. Complex association between experiencing IPV and HCS useDespite these findings, other studies paint a more ambivalent picture of HCS utilization among women experiencing IPV [20]. Such studies suggest that many of these women face barriers limiting their ability to seek help via HCS, and that they might use these services less Patterns of healthcare services utilization associated with intimate partner violence PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.

Brief and effective screening measures are required to detect clinical depression in bipolar disorder (BD) patients. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the clinical utility of a six-item, self-report Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-6). Design and Method: Sixty BD outpatients completed questionnaires including the HAMD-6 before regular psychiatric appointments. Findings: A 7+ HAMD-6 cutoff score correctly identified six of eight depressed patients, indicating 75% sensitivity and 84% specificity. Practice Implications: The results of this study suggest the HAMD-6 is an effective depression screening measure with BD patients living in the community. This brief self-report scale can be used in clinical settings to quickly identify those requiring more thorough clinical attention.