Introductioin: Family violence (adult domestic violence, child abuse/n
eglect, and elder abuse) is endemic. Victims of family violence are se
en in every venue of health care, yet physicians do not routinely inqu
ire about abuse, even when patients present with obvious clinical char
acteristics. Although a comprehensive health care response is key to a
coordinated communitywide approach to family violence, most practicin
g physicians have never received education in any aspect of family vio
lence, including child abuse. This paper reports the results of a sun
ey of family violence instruction in medical schools. Methods: A writt
en survey of medical school deans and student representatives of all 1
26 U.S. medical schools was conducted to (1) determine curriculum cont
ent in family violence, (2) assess differences between deans' and stud
ents' perceptions of curricular offerings, and (3) compare the results
of the current survey with those of an earlier curriculum survey cond
ucted in 1987. Results: The majority of deans reported existing curric
ulum in all three topic areas of family violence. Compared to the 1987
survey, more deans reported existing curriculum in family violence. H
owever, neither total instructional time nor curriculum during clinica
l training increased. Moreover, student and dean responses were discre
pant regarding awareness of curriculum in domestic violence and elder
abuse. Conclusion: Despite an increase in the number of schools report
ing curriculum in family violence, there does not appear to be increas
ed attention to this problem, at least as measured by time devoted to
teaching. insights from this descriptive survey can promote ongoing ef
forts toward comprehensive curriculum development in family violence.