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Abstract: 

Anyone who regularly visits a physician is likely to acknowledge the crucial role physicians may play in the mental and physical well-being of individuals. The most likely health practitioners, besides mental health professionals, to be in a position to assess patients for intimate partner violence are family doctors and, for females, OB-GYN doctors. As pointed out by authors Kelly Weisberg and Elana Jacobs, currently, the level of screening by doctors for intimate partner violence (IPV) is nowhere near suffi cient. This article discusses some of the barriers that limit practitioners from screening for IPV, such as time constraints and a lack of knowledge of what to ask patients, of what to do if a patient discloses abuse, and of available community resources for those who are being abused.

Keywords: abortion patients; unwanted pregnancies; contraceptive sabotage; women who sought orthopedic care; screening patients for IPV

Affiliations:  1: Hastings College of Law, Editor of Domestic Violence Report; 2: University of California Santa Cruz.