Screening for Family Violence: Overcoming the Barriers

Make a Difference

In the meantime, we need to screen for partner violence and child abuse in our practices. The consensus of the experts is that we continue to do screening in private (ie, the partner and verbal children are not present) and that the documentation be confidential. This is important. Given our recent experiences with increasing personal, family, and school-based violence, it is clear our physical, mental, and social health all hang in the balance. Each of us can make a difference, one patient at a time.