Screening College Students for Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Molestation

Quality improvement studies in 2008, 2010, and 2013 investigated if nurse practitioners and physicians at an urban college health center screened for intimate partner violence (IPV), sexual assault (SA), and molestation at the annual women's health exam. Medical charts from the clinic's electronic record system were reviewed and one clinician screened for IPV, SA, and molestation in 2008. In 2010, the women's health template contained an IPV survey, which patients completed. IPV screening improved but decreased in 2013. SA and molestation were still screened less. Embedding IPV questions increased screening, but not consistently. Clinician screening prompts would improve IPV, SA, molestation screening.