Prevalence Study of Domestic Violence Victims in an Emergency Department

Comparison of Intimate Partner Violence Reporting between an Emergency Department and a Clinic Setting

“…A study using similar methods conducted in a large ED in Australia found a prevalence of abuse in women of 30.7%, with 23.9% of women reporting abuse as an adult. 11 A major study of the epidemiology of IPV in an ED population in Denver using a similar case identification question found a 54.2% lifetime prevalence of IPV. 2 This prevalence is especially striking when one considers the profound physical, emotional, and social implications of both past and current IPV on the victim.…”

“…3 Recent studies of IPV conducted in urban EDs suggest that female ED patients are at high risk for IPV and its consequences. 2,9,11,12 One study reported that 3.1% of the 9,057 women presenting to the EDs for any reason were seeking care for injuries caused by IPV. 12 The high rate of IPV among women who present to the ED indicates that this is an excellent location for identification and intervention in the cycle of violence.…”

Deciding to be Violent: The Perceived Utility of Abusive Behavior in Marriage

“…This does not account for indirect costs incurred from domestic violence such as those oflost productivity, the cost ofjudicial proceedings or the cost of incarceration ofoffenders. Roberts, O'Toole, Raphael, Lawrence and Ashby (1996) found that 23.9010 of women and 8.50/0 ofmen using hospital emergency facilities disclose a history ofdomestic violence with 11.6% reporting current victimization (approximately 2% ofall women reporting to the ER).…”

Prediction of Repeat Visits by Victims of Intimate Partner Violence to a Level III Trauma Centre

“…The detection rates of victims of intimate partner violence by nurses and doctors in the emergency departments have ranged from 5.0% to 16.0% [4,10,11,16,22]. Women arriving at trauma centres for intimate partner violencerelated problems have been shown to be more likely to present during the night when staffing levels are lower and social workers are often not available to undertake detailed social histories [23,24]. In our preliminary study, persons visiting the ER more than 20 times had, on average, not disclosed violence until the 13th visit [25].…”