Background and Clinical Knowledge of Intimate Partner Violence: A Study of Primary Care Residents and Medical Students at a United States Medical School

Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue that affects the physical and mental health of victims. However, residents and medical students may not receive adequate training to effectively identify and intervene with patients who may be victims of IPV. The purpose of this study is to examine the background and clinical knowledge of IPV among primary care residents and medical students in the United States of America. Methods: Third and fourth year medial students (n=65) and primary care residents (n=60) participated in an online survey in 2013. Results: While the majority of the participants reported IPV was an important and relevant issue for their practice, approximately half of them had never talked about IPV with patients. Residents reported higher levels of background and knowledge of IPV than medical students. Knowing a victim of IPV, confidence about talking to patients about IPV, and talking to patients about IPV would be helpful to increase levels of background and knowledge of IPV. Conclusions: This study found that background and clinical knowledge of IPV can potentially affect physicians' approach with IPV victims. This study also demonstrated the need for future research in the development of effective programs and trainings to help bridge the gap between knowledge and implementation in medical practice.