Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Responding to Intimate Partner Violence Use Disclosures in U.S. Healthcare Settings

Abstract

Purpose The healthcare system plays a critical role in intimate partner violence (IPV) detection and response through implementation of routine screening for IPV experiences (i.e., victimization). Yet, development of guidelines for identifying and responding to those who use violence in relationships (i.e., perpetration) is in its infancy.

Method We used a multi-phased exploratory sequential mixed methods approach to develop clinical practice guidelines for responding to IPV use disclosures in healthcare settings. Qualitative findings from expert panel discussions were used to develop an expert consensus survey that was distributed to an expanded pool of experts to evaluate agreement and feedback on clinical guidelines.

Results Qualitative findings led to an initial start list of 17 recommendations for responding to IPV use following IPV use disclosures. Subsequent expert consensus survey findings yielded agreement on nine clinical practice guidelines for responding to and managing risk following IPV use disclosures in the healthcare setting.

Conclusions With additional research intended to implement, evaluate, and refine these clinical practice guidelines for responding to IPV use disclosures, they may enhance preparedness and competence among providers, with potential for increasing identification of patients who use IPV, connect them to needed resources, and reduce future acts of violence. Following evaluation, the guidelines developed through this work may assist healthcare systems in establishing and implementing plans for IPV use response, risk management, and formation of connections to appropriate resources.