Methods for Estimating Medical Expenditures Attributable to Intimate Partner Violence

• NCJ Number: 237587
• Journal: Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 23 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2008 Pages: 1747-1766
• Author(s): Derek S. Brown; Eric A. Finkelstein; James A. Mercy
• Date Published: December 2008
• Length: 20 pages
• Grant Number(s): 200-2002-00776 TO 23; 1 P30 CD000138-01
• Sponsoring Agency: Ctr's for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); RTI-UNC Ctr of Excellence in Health Promotion Economics
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article compares three methods for estimating the medical cost burden of intimate partner violence against U.S. adult women.

Abstract

This article compares three methods for estimating the medical cost burden of intimate partner violence against U.S. adult women (18 years and older), 1 year postvictimization. To compute the estimates, prevalence data from the National Violence Against Women Survey are combined with cost data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, the Medicare 5 percent sample, and published studies and with relative risk estimates from published studies. Results are compared and reasons for difference are explored, including the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Estimates of the medical cost burden of intimate partner violence within the first 12 months after victimization range from $2.3 billion to $7.0 billion, depending on the method used. Although limited to women victimized in the last year, each method reveals that intimate partner violence imposes a substantial burden on the health care system. Among the approaches, there is no clear gold standard nor any evidence of bias. (Published Abstract)