Screening for intimate partner violence within a health care setting: A systematic review of the literature

The purpose of this review is to present literature regarding intervention research on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) screening. Articles were obtained by searching six databases and review of reference pages. Of the articles selected for this review, all measured disclosure rates of IPV screening and five addressed safety practices, one study included both screening and safety practices. Two studies evaluated advocacy's impact on safety and the level of violence. Five studies reported referral initiation to advocacy services. The results suggest that screening is effective in identifying IPV; however, a causal link between screening practices, increased safety practices, and decreased violence cannot be established. Practice and research implications for social work are discussed.