Pilot educational outreach project on partner violence

Background. To assess the impact of a multimodal educational outreach on physician screening and documentation of intimate partner violence (IPV) in primary care. Methods. Pre- and post-intervention assessment of physician screening and chart documentation of IPV. Physician screening was assessed by post-visit survey of patients and documentation was assessed by medical record review. Setting. Three medical offices in an urban community of approximately 1 million. Participants. Three primary care physicians (one internist, one obstetrician, and one family physician) and 100 patients from each of these practices. Interventions. Multimodal educational outreach to physicians and their office staff regarding appropriate screening and management of IPV. A trained IPV educator made periodic office visits in 2002 to educate the physician and office staff regarding appropriate screening and management of IPV. Results. Before the intervention, 36/150 (24%) of sample patients reported having been previously asked about IPV and 24/150 (16%) reported being asked in a written format. After the intervention, 100/149 (67%) and 41/108(28%) reported being asked verbally or in writing, respectively. Conclusions. This pilot study of three physicians suggests educational outreach represents a promising and feasible means of improving physician screening and documentation of IPV in primary care.