Initiating universal IPV screening for GYN patients in an outpatient OB/GYN setting
Date
2022
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a concern in the United States with a large amount of women being abused, emotionally, physically and psychologically. In America, one in four women have been found to be in violent relationships. OB/GYN offices see 12.7% of abused women annually, which illustrates the importance of universal screening for IPV. There is an OB/GYN clinic located in Smyrna, DE that sees an average of 400 women for GYN-focused visits a month, which correlates to 48 women who may be involved in violence. This practice does not currently screen patients during GYN-focused visits for IPV, leaving a gap in recommended screening practice and leaving women who may be involved in violence to be undetected. This practice change project initiated universal IPV screening using the evidence-based HARK (Humiliation, Afraid, Rape and Kick) screening tool to screen women for IPV. Upon initiating universal IPV screening on all GYN patients at this clinic, 275 women were screened over 8 weeks with 13 women screening positive for IPV. Eleven of those women were offered a domestic violence referral card. Of those eleven women offered the referral card, ten accepted the referral. The project was cost effective, accepted by all providers and implemented screening for all GYN patients that were going unscreened previously by the clinic. This project illustrated the need for universal screening and provided a chance for 13 women to be identified as being in a violent relationship up to a year ago that would have never been identified. ☐ Keywords: IPV, HARK tool, OB/GYN setting, IPV screening, IPV referrals
Description
Keywords
HARK tool, IPV, IPV referrals, IPV screening, OB/GYN setting