Randomized Comparison of 3 Methods to Screen for Domestic Violence in Family Practice
Ann Fam Med Chen et al.
5: 430
The Article in Brief
Randomized Comparison of 3 Methods to Screen for Domestic
Violence in Family Practice
Ping-Hsin Chen, PhD
, and colleagues
Background This study compares 3 ways of asking women
about domestic violence during visits to their family doctor’s office: (1) a self-administered questionnaire, which
the patient answers by herself; (2) questions asked by a medical staff member; and (3) questions asked by the
doctor.
What This Study Found All 3 methods are equally effective
in terms of rates at which women disclose information about domestic violence, comfort with the method of
questioning, and time spent. In this study, 1 in 7 women in intimate relationships had experienced domestic
violence.
Implications
- Domestic violence is frequently part of the lives of primary
care patients.
- Three different ways of asking about domestic violence are
equally effective in identifying patients at risk.
- Practices can use the screening approach that best fits their
setting.
