Forensic Health Care Response to Intimate Partner Violence

The optimal medical and forensic health care response to IPV is delivered by specially trained providers who understand trauma dynamics and impact, are prepared to deliver trauma-informed, person-centered care, and provide education and information that supports individual choice in health care and safety decisions. Forensic providers are trained to accurately assess and document injury and to preserve forensic evidence to facilitate investigation and prosecution of crimes. Individuals who experience violence have better outcomes when they receive care from a forensic nurse, yet there are substantial inequities in access to specialty care. Regulatory and policy changes are needed to address workforce and resource challenges faced by health care facilities and to increase equitable access to quality forensic care.