NCJ Number
221269
Date Published
January 2004
Length
51 pages
Annotation
Findings are provided from an evaluative study on the rates of domestic violence and sexual assault screening by primary care practitioners in Pennsylvania, before and after the introduction of a clinical practice guideline and related educational interventions.
Abstract
The overall study findings revealed 810 of 2,293 (35 percent) of patient records had domestic violence screening documented, and 65 of 2,289 (3 percent) of patient records had sexual assault screening documented. In those that were documented, 1 in 12 patients overall had positive findings. The rates of domestic violence and sexual assault screening documentation did not significantly differ by study time interval; however, documentation rates did significantly differ by type of patient visit. New patient visits had a significantly higher documentation rate for domestic violence. However, positive finding rates for domestic violence were significantly lower for new patients as compared to depression and contusion. In summary, documentation of routine domestic violence screening is variable across primary care practice sites and by type of patient visit. Utilizing records of patients at 10 suburban primary care practices in central Pennsylvania, an evaluative study was conducted to evaluate current primary care practice in screening patients for domestic violence and sexual assault, and the potential effectiveness of educational interventions on screening rates. Figures, tables, references and appendices I-V