ABSTRACT

Background: Nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. Research has indicated that intimate partner violence (IPV) transcends multiple factors of life and carries long-term effects. The knowledge and confidence of emergency department (ED) nurses’ skills on universal screening can reduce prevalence rates and promote the support of IPV victims. It is important for ED nurses to understand appropriate consultations and local resources to encourage safety in clients who screen positive.

Objectives: This evidence-based project aims to educate ED nurses on the importance of universal screening for IPV by using the Hurt, Insult, Threaten, and Scream (HITS) tool and appropriate actions in the event of a positive screening.

Methods: An eight-question multiple-choice survey assesses ED nurses’ knowledge of IPV, prevalence rates, barriers to screening, universal screening with the HITS tool, and appropriate actions to a positive screening. The survey will be administered pre- and post-intervention. The intervention is a poster presentation that focuses on the importance of universal screening by using the HITS tool and the appropriate response to an identified IPV victim.

Results: The primary outcome is an increase in nurses’ knowledge of the HITS screening tool and universal screening for IPV. The secondary outcome is the increased use of the HITS screening tool, leading to an increase in the identification and support of IPV victims.

Conclusion: Research indicates that nurses’ confidence will improve when they are educated about screening for IPV. ED nurses’ knowledge of universal screening and prevalence of IPV is influential in identifying and supporting IPV victims. Providing local resources, implementing a social work consultation, and updating the healthcare provider are actions that ED nurses can take to encourage safety in clients who screen positive.

Keywords: intimate partner violence; intimate partner violence screening; emergency

department; domestic violence; HITS screening tool