Existence of staff barriers to partner violence screening and screening practices in military prenatal settings.
OBJECTIVE
To identify, from a provider's perspective, the existence of staff barriers and the frequency of partner violence screening.


METHODS
Quantitative descriptive design.


METHODS
Data were collected at two United States Army Community Hospitals.


METHODS
Department of Defense physicians and family nurse practitioners that provide prenatal care completed a 26-item questionnaire.


RESULTS
Military health care providers are aware of partner violence screening barriers, with the biggest perceived barriers being lack of time (80%) and lack of education (72%). Screening practices exceeded research expectation, with 93% of the providers performing partner violence screening. Seventy-four percent of participants had received partner violence education and training, with 12% having received greater than 5 hours of training.


CONCLUSIONS
Perceived barriers to partner violence screening do exist in military prenatal settings but do not significantly affect screening practices. Most providers are screening prenatal patients for partner violence and are aware of resources available to assist victims of partner violence.
Ortiz
Jana J
JJ
FNP, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. CptJJOrtiz@aol.com
Ford
Lisa R
LR
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006772:Hospitals, Military; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D019221:Mandatory Reporting; D008396:Maryland; D008403:Mass Screening; D008889:Military Personnel; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D012307:Risk Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires