Intimate partner violence: implications for nursing

Intimate partner violence is responsible for 30% of female homicides in the U. S. and has multiple negative health consequences. It is identified as one of the objectives in Healthy People 2010. Women are more likely to be assaulted by a current or former intimate partner than an acquaintance, family member, friend, or stranger. Universal screening is advocated as an effective approach in identifying affected women. There exists a few states mandating report of women with injuries resulting from IPV but it is only clearly mandated in California. Interventions to address the problem include those focused on increasing identification and screening, and treatment of intimate partner violence. This paper reviews the epidemiology, identification and screening, and interventions for IPV. The role for nursing is discussed concluding with directions for further investigation.