NCJ Number
194230
Journal
On The Edge Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Dated: Summer 2001 Pages: 1,3-6,7-9,10
Date Published
2001
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the development and implementation of a domestic violence screening tool for the use of medical personnel in New Mexico.
Abstract
Through a grant awarded under the Violence Against Women Act, St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, formed a team to design and implement a domestic violence screening tool for medical personnel to use with women admitted to the hospital. The screening tool was developed based upon Health Care Response to Domestic Violence: A Manual for Health Care Providers. The author, working with a team of hospital workers, then modified this tool to increase consistency and efficiency while decreasing the overall time spent administering the screening tool. The revised screening tool includes various sections beginning with the data collection tool which collects basic demographic information. The second portion includes narrative descriptions by the patient and photographs. Additionally, there is the Personal Safety Plan which prompts the health care worker to provide the patient with domestic violence education and safety planning. Finally, the tool includes law enforcement interaction methodology. The forms used as part of the screening tool are included along with the article for reference.