PREVALENCE OF VIOLENCE VICTIMIZATION AMONG PATIENTS SEEN IN AN URBAN PUBLIC HOSPITAL WALK-IN CLINIC

Objectives: To study the prevalence of serious physical interpersonal violence and to identify the types of perpetrators, the frequency of o ccurrence, the time since the violence occurred, the risk profiles, an d other factors related to victimization. Methods: One-week survey of all consecutively registered patients and their visitors in an urban p ublic hospital adult walk-in clinic, using an anonymous self-administe red questionnaire. Results: Of the 1,504 patients, 1,041 (69.2% ) comp leted the questionnaire. The reported experience of serious physical v iolence victimization for the whole study population, both patients (n = 1,041) and visitors (n = 155), was 47.9% (573/1,196). A violence vi ctim was more likely to be male [odds ratio (OR) = 1.41, 95% confidenc e interval(CI): 1.11, 1.781, African-American(OR = 1.27,95% CI: 0.98, 1.63), aged 45 years or younger (OR = 1.55, 95% (CI: 1.19, 2.03), and single (OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.16, 1.86). Alcohol use and drug use were clearly associated with violence victimization, with prevalence ORs of 2.26 (95% CI: 1.80, 2.85) for alcohol and 3.68 (95% CI: 2.66, 5.09) f or drugs. Conclusion: A history of serious physical violence victimiza tion is common in inner-city hospital walk-in clinic patients. Walk-in clinics in urban areas of high violence, therefore, may prove to be i mportant places for intervention and prevention of violence.