A Brief Synopsis of AFP's " USPSTF: Screening for Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse of Elderly and Vulnerable Adults: Recommendation Statement"

A brief review of:
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Screening for Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse of Elderly and Vulnerable Adults: Recommendation Statement
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2013/0415/od3.pdf
Am Fam Physician. 2013 Apr 15;87(8):online.

     Intimate partner violence is defined as  any harm (sexual, physical, or mental) done by a spouse or partner. Sexual intimacy is not required for this classification of this type of violence. Between 25-30 percent of people claim to have experienced some form of IPV. The numbers are likely higher due to underreporting. Patients may feel guilt, self-blame, or fear of retaliation which may contribute to the underreporting. Since there are no current standards for screening, this could also be a factor of the underreporting. 
    The USPSTF recommends screening of all women of childbearing age for IPV. Clinicians can use various screening tools including;
Hurt, Insult, Threaten, Scream (HITS),
Ongoing Abuse Screen/ Ongoing Violence Assessment Tool (OAS/ AVAT),
Slapped, Threatened, and Throw (STaT),
Humiliation, Afraid, Rape, Kick (HARK), 
Modified Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), and
Woman abuse Screen Tool (WAST).

 For example, the four questions asked in the HITS assessment tool are 
"how often does your partner;
1. Physically hurt you?
2. Insult or talk down to you?
3. Threaten you with harm?
4. Scream or curse at you?"
Each question is scored from one to five, depending on frequency (never, rarely, sometimes, fairly often, or repeatedly). A score greater than 10 is positive. [1]  
     Patients who are victims of IPV often develop depression, PTSD, stress, anxiety, substance abuse, suicide, eating disorders, obesity, teen pregnancy, suicide and other conditions. Although studies are limited, there appears to be little harm in screening. Patients who screen positive need to be referred for intervention services. They can be counseled on safety behaviors, community resources, as well as emotional support, education on problem-solving strategies and parenting. Physicians need to be aware of state and local reporting laws.

1.http://www.orchd.com/violence/documents/HITS_eng.pdf