Domestic violence victims missed in ER

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., March 20 (UPI) -- About 80 percent of female victims of intimate partner violence are treated in U.S. hospitals, but most are not identified as abuse victims, researchers say.

The study, published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, found of the women treated in hospital emergency rooms, 72 percent are not identified as abuse victims, and of those who are identified, few are offered adequate support.

Dr. Karin Rhodes of the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues say hospital emergency departments have mandated protocols for intimate partner violence screening and intervention.

The research team examined all emergency department visits and intimate partner violence-related police events from 1999 to 2002 at eight hospitals in a semi-rural Midwestern county.

A total of 993 female victims of domestic violence generated 3,246 related police incidents over the four-year study period.

Women who had filed a police complaint the day of treatment, had been taken to the hospital by police, had self-disclosed domestic assault, or had mental health and substance abuse issues were more likely to be identified as victims of domestic violence, the study says.