The American Medical Association and other professional groups recommend routine screening for domestic violence. But does screening actually put victims at risk for more violence later? Not according to a recent study involving over 2,000 ED patients.

Researchers devised a study based on a computerized questionnaire that screens for domestic abuse. Of the 2,134 patients who participated in the study, 548 (26%) said they'd been abused by a partner in the past year. All patients who reported abuse during the screening received a list of shelters, legal services, abuse hotlines, and community resources.

During the study period, no patient reporting domestic violence experienced trouble from a partner while completing the questionnaire. In follow-up interviews with these patients 1 week and 3 months after screening, no one reported increased violence linked to participation in the study. However, many had contacted community resources for victims of domestic violence.

Some care providers ask about domestic violence only if they suspect it. The computerized system can screen patients more efficiently and may increase patient comfort about revealing abuse.

Source: Houry D, et al., Does screening in the emergency department hurt or help victims of intimate partner violence? Annals of Emergency Medicine, April 2008.