Changing intimate partner violence screening and intervention: focus group perspectives

BACKGROUND: Many survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) remain unconnected to professional help. Screenings in health settings may improve connections to support services. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to gather data to help inform an IPV screening intervention in an obstetrics/gynecology health clinic. 

METHODS: A qualitative analysis was employed using a summative content analysis approach of the transcripts of 2 focus groups consisting of health care providers, advocates, and survivors of IPV. RESULTS: Four thematic categories and additional subcategories emerged from the analysis, including (1) current process (what is done); (2) need (what is not done); (3) concerns (roadblocks); and (4) suggestions (next steps). 

CONCLUSIONS: Information obtained from this analysis was used to inform our intervention. Specifically, all clinic providers and staff received training on IPV, screening for IPV was done on all patients using an IPV screening tool, and patients were privately screened.