Intimate Partner Violence Screening Practices of Certified Nurse-Midwives

It is estimated that 324,000 pregnant women are abused by their partners in the United States each year. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the intimate partner violence-screening practices of certified nurse-midwives (CNMs). In-depth interviews were conducted with a sample (n = 8) of CNMs, and the data were analyzed by using with-case and across-case methods. The findings demonstrate that the midwives were inconsistent in their intimate partner violence-screening practice during pregnancy and increase or decrease screening in response to a woman's cultural background. Screening in a culturally competent manner is expected of all clinicians, but the demands of an increasingly complex, culturally diverse practice environment make it difficult. Consistent intimate partner abuse screening in a culturally competent manner is a challenge for all primary care providers.