Illinois trauma centers and community violence resources

Elder abuse and neglect (EAN), intimate partner violence (IPV), and street-based community violence (SBCV) are significant public health problems, which frequently lead to traumatic injury. Trauma centers can provide an effective setting for intervention and referral, potentially interrupting the cycle of violence.

To assess existing institutional resources for the identification and treatment of violence victims among patients presenting with acute injury to statewide trauma centers.

We used a prospective, web-based survey of trauma medical directors at 62 Illinois trauma centers. Nonresponders were contacted via telephone to complete the survey.

This survey was based on a survey conducted in 2004 assessing trauma centers and IPV resources. We modified this survey to collect data on IPV, EAN, and SBCV.

Univariate and bivariate statistics were performed using STATA statistical software.

We found that 100% of trauma centers now screen for IPV, an improvement from 2004 (P = 0.007). Screening for EAN (70%) and SBCV (61%) was less common (P < 0.001), and hospitals thought that resources for SBCV in particular were inadequate (P < 0.001) and fewer resources were available for these patients (P = 0.02). However, there was lack of uniformity of screening, tracking, and referral practices for victims of violence throughout the state.

The multiplicity of strategies for tracking and referring victims of violence in Illinois makes it difficult to assess screening and tracking or form generalized policy recommendations. This presents an opportunity to improve care delivered to victims of violence by standardizing care and referral protocols.