Intimate partner violence towards women.
BACKGROUND
Between 10-69% of women may have been physically or sexually assaulted by a partner at some stage, with assault rates against men reported at about a quarter of the rate against women. In at least half of people studied, the problem lasts for 5 years or more. Women reporting intimate partner violence (IPV) are more likely than other women to complain of poor physical or mental health, and of disability.


METHODS
We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of interventions initiated by healthcare professionals aimed at female victims of intimate partner violence? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to July 2008 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review).


RESULTS
We found 25 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.


CONCLUSIONS
In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: advocacy; career counselling plus critical consciousness awareness; cognitive behavioural counselling; cognitive trauma therapy; counselling; nurse support and guidance; peer support groups; safety planning; and shelters.
Sadowski
Laura
L
Collaborative Research Unit, Cook County Hospital/Department of Internal Medicine, Rush Medical College, Chicago, IL, USA.
D003152:Community Health Nursing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000066511:Intimate Partner Violence; D010808:Physical Examination; D036301:Qualitative Research