Updated USPSTF Guidelines on Screening for Intimate Partner Violence and Caregiver Abuse

Domestic abuse, including both intimate partner violence (IPV) and caregiver abuse of an older or vulnerable adult, is heartbreakingly common. Approximately 47% of women in the US report experiencing sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner over their lifetime. More than 10% of persons older than 60 years report experiencing elder abuse or neglect over the past year. Violence and abuse have considerable impacts on health, contributing to acute injuries, chronic conditions, and increased health care utilization, and on mortality, including the approximately 1690 US women who are murdered by an intimate partner each year. However, in medical visits, rates of IPV screening are low—much lower than for other conditions such as depression or anxiety. Discussions of abuse may be limited by factors such as fear, shame, and stigma on the part of the patient, and by time pressure, worries about how to respond, and lack of follow-up resources on the part of the clinician.

from JAMA Internal Medicine Online First https://ift.tt/GbjKigf