Should children be in the room when the mother is screened for partner violence

BACKGROUND The goal of our study was to understand the important issues to consider when screening women for intimate partner violence in front of the ir children, METHODS Interviews and focus groups were conducted with experienced family physicians and pediatricians and family violence experts (child psychologis ts, social workers, and domestic violence agency directors). Session transc ripts were coded and categorized. RESULTS Experts disagreed on the appropriateness of general screening for i ntimate partner violence in front of children older than 2 to 3 years. The majority thought that general questions were appropriate, if the in-depth q uestioning of the abused parent was done in private, Screening for child ab use when domestic violence is identified (and for domestic violence when ch ild abuse is discovered) was recommended. Documentation about intimate part ner violence in the child's medical chart raises questions about confidenti ality, since the person committing the abuse may have access, if he or she is a legal guardian. Physicians need more education on the symptoms of chil dren who are exposed to violence between adults. CONCLUSIONS More research is needed to understand appropriate questions and methods of screening for intimate partner violence in front of children, T he tension is between practical recommendations for routine screening and p reserving the safety of the parent and the children, Intimate partner viole nce screening by physicians is important. Interrupting the cycle of violenc e may give a child a better chance at maturing into a healthy adult.