Missed opportunities to catch cases of domestic abuse - Harvard Gazette

"This research shows we have an opportunity to support patients in a way that can be just as important as the surgery itself."

"Musculoskeletal injuries are the second - most-common physical manifestation of intimate partner violence."

"The researchers found that emergency departments referred 3,292, or 29.3 percent, of the patients, followed by behavioral health (18.1 percent), self-referral (14.8 percent), OB/GYN (8.4 percent), and primary care (5.2 percent)."

Musculoskeletal injuries are the second-most common physical manifestation of intimate partner violence after head and neck injuries. Twenty-four years of referral data covering 11,227 patients sent to two in-hospital domestic-abuse intervention programs show large differences by specialty. Emergency departments made the largest share of referrals (3,292; 29.3 percent), followed by behavioral health (18.1 percent), self-referral (14.8 percent), OB/GYN (8.4 percent), and primary care (5.2 percent). Orthopedic referrals comprised only 0.3 percent, the lowest rate among departments. The low orthopedic referral rate represents a missed opportunity to connect injured patients with support and intervention services.

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