Integrating Routine Inquiry about Domestic Violence into Daily Practice
Authors: Carole Warshaw, Elaine Alpert
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1999)

Editorials19 October 1999Integrating Routine Inquiry about Domestic Violence into Daily PracticeCarole Warshaw, MD and Elaine Alpert, MDCarole Warshaw, MDCook County Hospital; Chicago, IL 60612 (Warshaw)Boston University School of Public Health; Boston, MA 02118 (Alpert)Search for more papers by this author and Elaine Alpert, MDCook County Hospital; Chicago, IL 60612 (Warshaw)Boston University School of Public Health; Boston, MA 02118 (Alpert)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-131-8-199910190-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Domestic violence terrorizes the lives and damages the health of millions of women each year (1, 2). Studies indicate that 21% to 54% of women seen in emergency departments or primary care clinics have reported physical or emotional abuse by a partner in adulthood and at least one in three have experienced some form of abuse during their lives (3-5). Research over the past two decades has continued to document the profound effects of domestic violence on women's health (6-10). For many victims, the health care setting is the only place they will seek help, and health care providers play ...References1. Tjaden P, Thoennes N. Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence against Women: Findings from the National Violence against Women Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 1998. Google Scholar2. Crowell NA, Burgess AW. Understanding Violence against Women. Committee on Law and Justice, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. National Research Council. Washington, DC: National Academy Pr; 1996. Google Scholar3. Dearwater SR, Coben JH, Campbell JC, Nah G, Glass N, McLoughlin E, et al . Prevalence of intimate partner abuse in women treated at community hospital emergency departments. JAMA. 1998;280:433-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. McCauley J, Kern DE, Kolodner K, Dill L, Schroeder AF, DeChant HK, et al . The “battering syndrome”: prevalence and clinical characteristics of domestic violence in primary care internal medicine practices. Ann Intern Med. 1995;123:737-46. LinkGoogle Scholar5. Abbott J, Johnson R, Koziol-McLain J, Lowenstein SR. Domestic violence against women. Incidence and prevalence in an emergency department population. JAMA. 1995;273:1763-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Stark E, Flitcraft A. Women at Risk: Domestic Violence and Women's Health. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications; 1996. Google Scholar7. McCauley J, Kern DE, Kolodner K, Derogatis LR, Bass EB. Relation of low-severity violence to women's health. J Gen Intern Med. 1998;13:687-91. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Drossman DA, Talley NJ, Leserman J, Olden KW, Barreiro MA. Sexual and physical abuse and gastrointestinal illness. Review and recommendations. Ann Intern Med. 1995;123:782-94. LinkGoogle Scholar9. Parker B, McFarlane J, Soeken K. Abuse during pregnancy: effects on maternal complications and birth weight in adult and teenage women. Obstet Gynecol. 1994;84:323-8. MedlineGoogle Scholar10. Scholle SH, Rost KM, Golding JM. Physical abuse among depressed women. J Gen Intern Med. 1998;13:607-13. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. National Survey of Attitudes Toward Family Violence. Survey conducted by Schulman, Ronca & Bucuvalos, Inc., New York, 1991. Google Scholar12. Rodriguez MA, Quiroga SS, Bauer HM. Breaking the silence. Battered women's perspectives on medical care. Arch Fam Med. 1996;5:153-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. Freund KM, Bak SM, Blackhall L. Identifying domestic violence in primary care practice. J Gen Intern Med. 1996;11:44-6. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar14. Gerbert B, Caspers N, Bronstone A, Moe J, Abercrombie P. A qualitative analysis of how physicians with expertise in domestic violence approach the identification of victims. Ann Intern Med. 1999;131:578-84. LinkGoogle Scholar15. Flitcraft A, Hadley S, Hendricks-Mathews MB, McLeer S, Warshaw C. Diagnostic and Treatment Guidelines on Domestic Violence. Chicago: American Medical Association; 1992. Google Scholar16. Alpert EJ. Violence in intimate relationships and the practicing internist: new “disease” or new agenda? Ann Intern Med. 1995;123:774-81. LinkGoogle Scholar17. Massachusetts Medical Society Committee on Violence. Partner Violence: How to Recognize and Treat Victims of Abuse. 3d ed. Waltham, MA: Massachusetts Medical Soc; [In press]. Google Scholar18. Alpert EJ, Albright CL. Massachusetts Medical Society Seminar Series on Domestic Violence. Waltham, MA: Massachusetts Medical Soc; 1997. Google Scholar19. Warshaw C. Intimate partner abuse: developing a framework for change in medical education. Acad Med. 1997;72 1 Suppl S26-37. MedlineGoogle Scholar20. Warshaw C, Ganley A, Salber P. Improving the Health Care Response to Domestic Violence: A Resource Manual for Health Care Providers. San Francisco: Family Violence Prevention Fund and Pennsylvania Coalition against Domestic Violence; 1995. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Carole Warshaw, MD; Elaine Alpert, MDAffiliations: Cook County Hospital; Chicago, IL 60612 (Warshaw)Boston University School of Public Health; Boston, MA 02118 (Alpert)Corresponding Author: Carole Warshaw, MD, Cook County Hospital, Division of General Medicine, 1900 West Polk Street, Chicago, IL 60612. For reprint orders in quantities exceeding 100, contact the Reprints Coordinator; phone, 215-351-2657; e-mail, reprints@mail.acponline.org.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Warshaw: Cook County Hospital, Division of General Medicine, 1900 West Polk Street, Chicago, IL 60612.Dr. Alpert: Boston University Medical School, 715 Albany Street, T-2w, Boston, MA 02118. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoA Qualitative Analysis of How Physicians with Expertise in Domestic Violence Approach the Identification of Victims Barbara Gerbert , Nona Caspers , Amy Bronstone , James Moe , and Priscilla Abercrombie Metrics Cited byGender-based violence screening methods preferred by women visiting a public hospital in Pune, IndiaBeyond assessment: Examining providers’ responses to disclosures of violenceResponding to Domestic Violence in General Practice: A Qualitative Study on Perceptions and ExperiencesAcross the Divide: Using Research to Enhance Collaboration Between Mental Health and Domestic Violence ServicesListening to mental health workers' experiences: Factors influencing their work with women who disclose sexual assaultWhy Don't They Follow Through?Addressing Intimate Partner Violence with Male Patients: A Review and Introduction of Pilot GuidelinesIntimate Partner Violence and its Implication for PregnancyInterpersonal and Intimate Partner ViolenceScreening for Domestic Violence Among Adult Women in the United StatesConfronting barriers to universal screening for domestic violenceUpdate in Women's HealthJudith M.E. Walsh, MD, MPH, Nancy C. Dolan, MD, and Pamela Charney, MDOpportunities for interventionDiscussing physical abuse during prenatal care visits1Physical and sexual abuse against women and children 19 October 1999Volume 131, Issue 8Page: 619-620KeywordsDisclosureDomestic violenceEmotionsHealth careHealth care providersHospital medicineInterleukinsScreening guidelinesSigns and symptomsTreatment guidelines ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 19 October 1999 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1999 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...