The New York State Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

This course has been awarded 2.4 contact hours.

• According to the National Crime Victims Survey (NCVS), during 2001, there were 691,710 non-fatal intimate partner victimizations (USDJ, BJS, 2003).

• Approximately 588,490 or 85% of victimizations in 2001 were against women by their intimate partners (USDJ, BJS, 2003).

• Intimate partners were responsible for 3% of the nonfatal violence against men in 2001 (USDJ, BJS, 2003).

• 1,247 women and 440 men were killed by intimate partners in 2001. In recent years, an intimate partner killed about 33% of female murder victims and 4% of male murder victims (USDJ, BJS, 2003).

• The number of violent crimes against women declined during the period from 1993 to 2001; in 1993 there were 1.1 million nonfatal violent crimes; in 2001 there were 588,490. This is a decline of almost 49% (USDJ, BJS, 2003).

• The number of violent crimes against men also declined from 1993 to 2001. In 1993 there were 162,870 violent crimes by an intimate partner; by 2001 there were 103,220. This is a decline of almost 42% (USDJ, BJS, 2003).

• Between 1993 and 2000, the proportion of male murder victims killed by an intimate partner was relatively stable, while the proportion of female murder victims killed by an intimate partner rose slightly (USDJ, BJS, 2003).

• The number of men murdered by an intimate partner dropped 68% from 1976 to 2000. In 1976, there were 1,357 murders; in 2000 there were 440 (USDJ, BJS, 2003).

• The number of women murdered by an intimate partner was stable for almost 20 years, but declined after 1993. The number of women murdered by an intimate partner in 1976 was 1,600; in 2000 there were 1,247 killed by intimate partners; this is a 22% decline (USDJ, BJS, 2003).

• Of women who reported being raped and/or physically assaulted since the age of 18, three quarters (76 percent) were victimized by a current or former husband, cohabitating partner, date or boyfriend (US Department of Justice, 1998).

• According to the Family Violence Prevention Fund (http://endabuse.org), the average charge for medical services provided to abused women, children and older people was $1,633 per person per year. This would amount to a national annual cost of $857.3 million for the medical services; the additional cost of lost wages, lost productivity, etc. were not included.

• From 1987 to 1990, crime costs Americans $450 billion a year. Adult victims of intimate partner violence incurred 15% of the total cost of crime on victims ($67 billion) (National Institute of Justice, 1996).

Intimate partner violence is an epidemic public health problem. Despite its magnitude, it is frequently not recognized in the healthcare setting. Healthcare providers may treat the injuries, but often fail to identify the victims of intimate partner violence. Therefore the violence is not identified and it is not treated in the healthcare setting. This lack of recognition contributes to the ongoing abuse and suffering of victims.

Nurses and other healthcare professionals are critical links in the treatment and safety of persons involved in intimate partner violence. Victims are often not forthcoming about the nature of their injuries; they need for healthcare providers to initiate the discussion about the violence. Since nurses provide care to persons in every stage of life in a wide range of settings, they are in a unique position to intervene. Improving recognition of cases of intimate partner violence and the utilization of appropriate interventions can help to prevent the cycle of violence and the suffering it causes.

This course provides the startling facts about intimate partner violence and information that can be used by nurses in all settings to help them assess, recognize and intervene.

Note: "She" and "Her" are used when referring to victims and "He" and "Him" refer to the abuser because of the significant prevalence of gender related incidences. This does not imply that domestic violence cannot be female against male, or female against female, or male against male.

© 2004 NYSNA, all rights reserved.

Course Objectives

At the completion of this learning activity the learner will be able to:

• Define intimate partner violence.

• Discuss the impact of violence on the family.

• Identify warning signs of potential abuse.

• Discuss nursing interventions during routine screening for intimate partner violence.

• State effective questions that may be asked when screening.

• Identify resources for treatment of intimate partner violence.