Intimate partner violence: how clinicians can be an asset to their patients.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has emerged as a public health concern. It does not consist of physical violence alone, but includes psychological and emotional issues as well. IPV cuts across all cultures, age groups, and socioeconomic classes and necessitates numerous health care visits. It is often difficult to identify those who are affected by IPV when assessing during health care services. This difficulty may be overcome as health care providers become aware of the need to integrate screening as part of the initial assessment. Although it can be difficult to measure the impact of IPV, several organizations have been able to determine that the economic cost to society is significantly increased when IPV is present. Because nurses are the largest class of health care providers, their ability to perform screening activities is paramount to early detection and management of IPV.