title: Nonbattering presentations to the ED of women in physically abusive relationships.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Truman Medical Center, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, 64108, USA.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Muelleman
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Lenaghan
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Pakieser
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018585:Battered Women; D017579:Domestic Violence; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005383:Finger Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D018409:Foot Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D005544:Forecasting; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008923:Missouri / Q000453:epidemiology; D009329:Nebraska / Q000453:epidemiology; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D018881:Suburban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D014627:Vaginitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health; D014932:Women's Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data