Health Policies Related to Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence
Health Policies Related to Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence
Health Policies Related to Intimate Partner and Sexual
Violence
As discussed earlier, the health consequences of violence are significant for women. Additionally,
women who have experienced violence have significantly higher health care costs than women
without a victimization history (Bonomi et al., 2009; National Center for Injury Prevention and
Control, 2003). There is now a consensus that these health care settings offer a unique opportunity
to identify and support women living with the effects of violence (Family Violence Prevention
Fund, 2002; World Health Organization [WHO], 2013). The U.S. Preventative Services Taskforce
recommends “clinicians screen women of childbearing age for IPV such as domestic violence, and
provide or refer women who screen positive to intervention services.” The Institute of Medicine
identified screening and brief counseling for interpersonal violence as an essential and evidencebased
practice necessary to ensure the well-being of women (National Research Council, 2011). A
wide variety of medical and nursing professional organizations also recommend routine screening
for violence (Amar et al., 2013). Significant evidence now exists for safety planning strategies to
prevent homicide for women in abusive relationships. The Danger Assessment Instrument, for
example, has been shown to have good predictive value and can assist women with making a
realistic appraisal of their likelihood of experiencing lethal violence (Campbell, Webster, & Glass,
2008). Health care institutions should also have the appropriate capacity to provide care to women
in the acute period after a physical or sexual assault (WHO, 2013).
Nurses and other health professionals have a role to play in community responses to violence.
Many localities have created sexual assault response teams. These interdisciplinary teams work to
ensure consistent, trauma-informed, and effective care for victims of sexual assault. Despite scant
research on the effectiveness of these teams, they are a promising practice (Greeson & Campbell,
2013). Likewise, intimate partner/domestic violence fatality review teams review cases of intimate
partner homicide with a public health approach. As with sexual assault response teams, there are
little data on the effectiveness of these teams that have also been labeled a promising practice
(Wilson & Websdale, 2006).
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