Citation

Davis B, Ortiz M, Buckenmeyer C, Ortiz M, Sierzega G. J. Emerg. Nurs. 2005; 31(1): 13.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Emergency Nurses Association, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jen.2004.07.051

PMID

15682102

Abstract

According to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, approximately 100,000 people are victims of domestic violence each year and, of this number, it is estimated that 5% are men. Although female domestic violence screening is prevalent today in most health care settings, many screening programs do not include the male population. In 2000, a domestic violence screening program for female victims was implemented at a 3-site tertiary care, level I trauma center in Eastern Pennsylvania that treats more than 103,000 patients annually across 3 ED sites. Preliminary review of 2002 and 2003 data showed that our emergency department had a 14.8% incidence of male domestic violence patients without a male screening program in place. Therefore, in January 2004, the current screening process was expanded to include male domestic violence screening for all patients aged 15 to 65 years.  Prior to implementation, the project leader met with community agencies to learn more about the available resources for male domestic violence victims.  All positive male victims were referred to a local domestic violence facility. During the first month after implementation of the expanded screening process, 1100 patients qualified for domestic violence screening. Forty-two percent of the patients were men and 58% were women. From these numbers, one man (11%) and 8 women (89%) were positively identified as domestic violence victims. Based on results from our institution, we recommend that when implementing a domestic violence screening program, it would be most beneficial to implement a screening tool for both men and women, simultaneously. If a female domestic violence screening program is already in place, emergency departments should consider expanding the screening process to include men, because prevalence is higher than once thought. In order to maximize the program's success, screening development and implementation should be a collaborative effort between ED staff and community resources.