TY - JOUR
T1 - Nonbattering presentations to the ED of women in physically abusive relationships
AU - Muelleman, Robert L.
AU - Lenaghan, Patricia A.
AU - Pakieser, Ruth A.
PY - 1998
Y1 - 1998
N2 - To determine which diagnoses in the emergency department (ED), apart from battering injuries, were more common among women who were living in physically abusive relationships than among women who were not, a study was conducted in 10 hospital-based EDs in two cities serving inner city, urban, and suburban populations. A total of 9,057 women between the ages of 19 and 65 years presenting to the EDs were eligible for the study. Medical records were reviewed, and a written questionnaire was used. The questionnaire was completed by 4,501 (73% of those asked, 59% of those eligible, and 50% of those presenting). Two hundred sixty-six (5.9%) were currently in a physically abusive relationship but not in the ED for battering injuries, and 3,969 (88.2%) were not currently in a physically abusive relationship. An additional 266 (5.9%) were positive, probable, or suggestive for battering injuries and excluded from diagnosis comparisons. Women in physically abusive relationships were more likely to be diagnosed with urinary tract infections, neck pain, vaginitis, foot wound, suicide attempt, and finger fracture. However, these represented only 19.8% of diagnoses in this group. The use of this knowledge alone to predict the presence of intimate violence in individual patients in the ED will not identify the majority of women at risk. These results suggest the use of routine inquiry for abuse in all women.
AB - To determine which diagnoses in the emergency department (ED), apart from battering injuries, were more common among women who were living in physically abusive relationships than among women who were not, a study was conducted in 10 hospital-based EDs in two cities serving inner city, urban, and suburban populations. A total of 9,057 women between the ages of 19 and 65 years presenting to the EDs were eligible for the study. Medical records were reviewed, and a written questionnaire was used. The questionnaire was completed by 4,501 (73% of those asked, 59% of those eligible, and 50% of those presenting). Two hundred sixty-six (5.9%) were currently in a physically abusive relationship but not in the ED for battering injuries, and 3,969 (88.2%) were not currently in a physically abusive relationship. An additional 266 (5.9%) were positive, probable, or suggestive for battering injuries and excluded from diagnosis comparisons. Women in physically abusive relationships were more likely to be diagnosed with urinary tract infections, neck pain, vaginitis, foot wound, suicide attempt, and finger fracture. However, these represented only 19.8% of diagnoses in this group. The use of this knowledge alone to predict the presence of intimate violence in individual patients in the ED will not identify the majority of women at risk. These results suggest the use of routine inquiry for abuse in all women.
KW - Domestic violence
KW - Emergency services
KW - Partner abuse
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0031887208&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0031887208&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0735-6757(98)90028-6
DO - 10.1016/S0735-6757(98)90028-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 9517685
AN - SCOPUS:0031887208
VL - 16
SP - 128
EP - 131
JO - The American journal of emergency medicine
JF - The American journal of emergency medicine
SN - 0735-6757
IS - 2
ER -