Using Radar for intimate partner violence assessment and intervention

Background:  Annually, an estimated five million adult women experience intimate partner violence (IPV )at an approximate cost of $6 billion, the majority going towards direct healthcare costs. Women experiencing IPV victimization have higher rates of emergency department and primary and specialty care utilization in comparison to women without a history of IPV. Healthcare clinicians, therefore, often find themselves providing care to women experiencing IPV. The purpose of this presentation is to describe RADAR, a clinician-focused strategy for use in IPV assessment and intervention.

Methods:  RADAR is a mnemonic developed to assist clinicians in their assessment and intervention of IPV. Components of RADAR include routine assessment of every woman at every healthcare visit with a history and physical examination, a plan of care (treatment, intervention and safety) and appropriate documentation of the IPV incident assessment.

 Results: When used by clinicans, RADAR enhances the quality of care provided to women, especially those who have experienced IPV. The routine assessment of IPV among all female patients diminshes the stigma associated with victimization and fosters an open, nonjudgmental diaglogue between women and their clinicians. Thus the health, well-being, and safety of women, especially survivors of IPV, is better addressed  through implementation of appropriate intervention.

Conclusion: Provision of care to women with suspected or confirmed IPV is difficult for numerous reasons including women’s denial or minimization of IPV and clinicians’ feelings of inadequacy in their ability to provide care to these women. RADAR provides a guiding framework for clinicians to follow that ensures their provision of appropriate and effective care to this vulnerable population of women.