Evaluating and managing intimate partner violence

An estimated 18% to 25% of female primary care and prenatal patients suffer from intimate partner violence, and 31% to 44% of women report some abuse during their lifetimes. Violence is often unreported because women fear the batterer's reprisals, time-consuming court procedures, shame, blame, and unreliable legal sanctions. Screening for domestic violence should be a routine aspect of health care. Clinicians must ask direct questions about violence and detect subtle and overt clues. This article presents the historical context of violence and examines screening, evaluation, treatment, and ethics.