Title: Intimate Partner Violence (submitted by Dr. Kinjal Sethuraman)<br/>Author: Rachel Wiltjer<br/><a href='http://umem.org/profiles/resident/2046/'>[Click to email author]</a><hr/><p>
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IPV can occur once or over years by a current or former romantic partner. <strong>Types of IPV include: Physical and/or Sexual violence, Stalking</strong>, <strong>and</strong> <strong>Psychological/Financial aggression</strong> (the use of verbal and non-verbal communication to harm mentally or emotionally and to exert control over another partner). </p>
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IPV is more prevalent that Aortic Dissection and Pulmonary Embolism <em>combined.</em> <strong>Think about how risky it is to NOT recognize IPV. </strong></p>
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1:4 women and 1:10 men have been victims of IPV during their lifetime.</p>
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<strong>1:5</strong> homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner.</p>
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Over <strong>50%</strong> of female homicide victims are killed by a current or former intimate partner. Patients who have been strangled are <strong>4 times</strong> more likely to be killed within a year.</p>
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Your Spidey Sense should go off when:</p>
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Stories Change</li>
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History doesn’t match up with injuries</li>
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Injuries in areas that are concealed, multiple injuries of varying ages, defensive wounds</li>
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Major delays in seeking care</li>
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Non-specific complaints - headache, gastric issues</li>
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Multiple ED visits at odd hours</li>
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Refusing the use of an interpreter by partner (why we always use an official interpreter)</li>
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Once patient is identified as a victim:</p>
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Place victim in a safe, inaccessible by visitors, and hidden area</li>
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Treat all medical issues</li>
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Contact Social Work/SAFE/SANE examiner (some institutions will have IPV specific resources)</li>
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Contact police if patient is willing to report</li>
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Safe disposition</li>
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If unable to ensure a safe disposition, be very careful about documentation provided in discharge paperwork and language used</li>
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<fieldset><legend>References</legend>
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Choo EK, Houry DE. Managing intimate partner violence in the emergency department. Ann Emerg Med. 2015 Apr;65(4):447-451.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2014.11.004. Epub 2014 Dec 20. PMID: 25533139; PMCID: PMC4393790.</li>
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<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/ipv/ipvandsvscreening.pdf">06_105344_IPV_SVBooklet_knuth.indd (cdc.gov)</a></li>
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Rabin RF, Jennings JM, Campbell JC, Bair-Merritt MH. Intimate partner violence screening tools: a systematic review. Am J Prev Med. 2009 May;36(5):439-445.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2009.01.024. PMID: 19362697; PMCID: PMC2688958.</li>
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<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/index.html">Intimate Partner Violence |Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC</a></li>
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