Domestic and family violence screening in the emergency department: Who’s doing it? How are they doing it? How often?
Quick facts
Domestic and family violence (DFV), and intimate partner violence against women, is the number one cause of death and disability in women aged 15–44.
This project aims to describe current DV screening practices in 10 emergency departments (EDs)s servicing unique populations.The study describes social worker referrals from the ED, surveys ED staff on their attitudes and practices about DFV and DFV screening, and interviews ED nursing and medical staff. It also outlines social workers’ time spent doing DFV referrals from ED, and current ED screening practices.
The results will give an insight into the barriers that may exist to screening and offers potential solutions to these barriers.
“Staff working in Emergency Departments may see people on one of the worst days of their lives. Identifying and managing DFV because of its impact on people and families is an important aspect of our work.”
—Dr Thomas Torpie
