Markers for domestic violence in women

Objective-To determine injury patterns and characteristics specific to dome stic violence in women who present to the accident and emergency (A&E) depa rtment. Design-A retrospective case note review of all female assaults over a one y ear period. The subjects were women who disclosed that their injuries were due to assaults by either a current or a previous male partner, Controls we re female assault victims not injured by domestic violence. Setting-A medium sized urban A&E department. Results-There were 500 female assaults our of 48 169 new attendances. Domes tic violence Mras disclosed in 103 cases. The following features were signi ficantly associated with domestic violence in women: multiple injuries (p<0 .001) (especially to the head and arms), fractures (p<0.05), loss of consci ousness (p<0.05), abdominal injuries (p<0.05), pregnancy (p=0.01), injury o ccurring on "stairs" (p=0.01), and general! practitioner referral (p<0.01). Conclusions-Women who have been assaulted are more likely to have been inju red duping domestic violence if they sustain multiple injuries (including f ractures), abdominal injuries, have last consciousness, or have been referr ed by their general practitioner. These markers may help medical staff to i dentify more cases of undisclosed domestic violence. The markers need to be tested further in. a prospective study.