title: Rates and relative risk of hospital admission among women in violent intimate partner relationships.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study assessed the history of hospitalization among women involved in violent intimate relationships.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this 1-year retrospective cohort study, female residents of King County, Washington, who were aged 18 to 44 years and who had filed for a protection order were compared with nonabused women in the same age group. Outcome measures included overall and diagnosis-specific hospital admission rates and relative risk of hospitalization associated with abuse.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women known to be exposed to a violent intimate relationship were significantly more likely to be hospitalized with any diagnosis (age-specific relative risks [RRs] ranging from 1.2 to 2.1), psychiatric diagnoses (RR = 3.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.8, 4.6), injury and poisoning diagnoses (RR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.2, 2.8), digestive system diseases (RR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.3, 2.9), and diagnoses of assault (RR = 4.9, 95% CI = 1.1, 22.1) or attempted suicide (RR = 3.7, 95% CI = 1.6, 9.2) in the year before filing a protection order.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed an increased relative risk of both overall and diagnosis-specific hospitalizations among abused women. Intimate partner violence has a significant impact on women's health and use of health care.
authors.affiliation: Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. mkernic@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kernic
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Holt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D044469:Racial Groups; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014861:Washington / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology