Patient Opinions of Screening for Intimate Partner Violence in a Fracture Clinic Setting

BACKGROUND: Approximately one-third of injured women presenting to fracture clinics have experienced some form of intimate partner violence in the past year. The aim of the current study was to determine patients' perceptions on screening for intimate partner violence during visits to a surgical fracture clinic. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate patients' perceptions and opinions on screening for intimate partner violence in an orthopaedic fracture clinic. Eligible patients anonymously completed a self-reported written questionnaire, which included questions on patient demographics, attitudes toward intimate partner violence in general, the acceptability of screening for intimate partner violence in an orthopaedic fracture clinic, and opinions on how, when, and by whom the screening should be conducted. RESULTS: The study included 750 patients (421 male and 329 female) at five clinical sites in Canada and the Netherlands. The majority (554, 73.9%) of the respondents either "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that the fracture clinic was a good place for health-care providers to ask about intimate partner violence. The majority (671, 89.5%) also agreed that health-care providers should screen for intimate partner violence by means of face-to-face interactions rather than other, more passive methods. Increased openness to screening was significantly associated with female sex, higher income, and higher education (F₃₅₉₅ = 21.950, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that the majority of patients endorse active screening for intimate partner violence in orthopaedic fracture clinics.