Intimate partner violence: Piloting an e-module for pediatric staff

Intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to violence (physical, sexual, psychological) by a current or former intimate partner. Over one-third of men and women experience IPV in their lifetime. One in 5 female high-school students reports a history of physical or sexual abuse by a partner. Ten to twenty percent of children are exposed to IPV during childhood, considered an “adverse childhood experience” (ACE), which is associated with increased risk-taking behaviors, chronic health conditions, low quality of life potential, and early death. Co-occurrence of child abuse and IPV is 30% to 60%.

Previous resources have been developed to teach healthcare providers how to screen for and respond to IPV.7 Existing, in-person IPV modules target healthcare students and adult providers. To date, there are no published modules geared toward multidisciplinary pediatric healthcare staff and providers about IPV. Our course is designed as a short, 30-minute, asynchronous e-learning module that can be easily distributed.

Our e-module provides pediatric staff training about IPV education, identification, screening, response, mandatory reporting requirements, and resources. This self-contained module can be added to any curriculum and can be adapted nationally for a variety of pediatric professionals. We use an interactive, case-based format to teach how to provide universal IPV education, identify persons experiencing violence, screen for abuse, and respond with resources. The module addresses unique aspects of IPV in a pediatric setting, including mandatory reporting.