Systematic Review of ED-based Intimate Partner Violence Intervention Research

• Published in: The western journal of emergency medicine Vol. 16; no. 7; pp. 1037 - 1042
• Main Authors: Choo, Esther K, Gottlieb, Amy S, DeLuca, Marie, Tape, Chantal, Colwell, Lauren, Zlotnick, Caron
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Irvine School of Medicine 01.12.2015; eScholarship Publishing, University of California
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Assessment Reactivity; Domestic Violence; Early Diagnosis; Emergency Department; Emergency Service, Hospital; Female; Humans; Injury Prevention; Intimate Partner Violence; Intimate Partner Violence - prevention & control; Middle Aged; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Referral and Consultation - statistics & numerical data; Social Support; Women's Health - statistics & numerical data; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1936-900X; 1936-9018
• DOI: 10.5811/westjem.2015.10.27586

Assessment reactivity may be a factor in the modest results of brief interventions for substance use in the emergency department (ED). The presence of assessment reactivity in studies of interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV) has not been studied. Our objectives were to identify ED IPV intervention studies and evaluate the presence of a consistently positive effect on the control groups. We performed a systematic search of electronic databases for English=language intervention studies addressing IPV in the ED published since 1990. Study selection and assessment of methodologic quality were performed by two independent reviewers. Data extraction was performed by one reviewer and then independently checked for completeness and accuracy by a second reviewer. Of 3,620 unique manuscripts identified by database search, 667 underwent abstract review and 12 underwent full-text review. Only three met full eligibility criteria; data on the control arm were available for two studies. In these two studies, IPV-related outcomes improved for both the experimental and control condition. The paucity of controlled trials of IPV precluded a robust evaluation for assessment reactivity. This study highlighted a critical gap in ED research on IPV.