ENTtoday
  • Home
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

Intimate Partner Violence Can Exacerbate Medical Problems

by Amy E. Hamaker • October 13, 2019

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

You Might Also Like

No related posts.

Explore This Issue
October 2019

Comment: As the article notes, intimate partner violence (IPV) is more prevalent during a woman’s lifetime than diabetes, depression, or breast cancer. However, it is often not recognized by health professionals. Of course, men are not immune to intimate partner violence. This review focuses on women, because the prevalence is much higher and serious injury is more common for women. The review presents three clinical cases, any of which could be seen as part of an otolaryngologist’s practice (asthma, throat pain, chronic headaches). In each case, the care team interacts with and, ultimately, helps support the patient. In the era of #MeToo, patients may feel safer to disclose issues like IPV. To me, this reinforces the importance of truly forming therapeutic relationships with our patients that are built on a foundation of trust and respect. This is true whether we’re seeing someone for the first time or over the course of many years. Adequately screening for, and supporting those dealing with, IPV is not something that can be done via another EMR series of survey click boxes and templated dot phrases. —Jennifer A. Villwock, MD

Given the prevalence of intimate partner violence and its effects on women’s health, what is the best response for effective interventions to be appropriately incorporated into clinical settings?

Bottom Line: Current or past intimate partner violence may be included in the differential diagnosis of many medical and behavioral health conditions, particularly in women. A missed or delayed diagnosis may lead to unnecessary or incorrect tests, procedures, and treatments, and to increased morbidity or mortality.

Background: Intimate partner violence is common, costly, and associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Such violence is more prevalent during a woman’s lifetime than conditions such as diabetes, depression, or breast cancer, yet it often remains unrecognized by health professionals.

Study design: Literature review.

Synopsis: Routine inquiry about partner violence in general medical settings can expose abusive behavior directed toward the patient. The abuse may underlie deterioration in the patient’s health and impair chronic condition management. Women experiencing intimate partner violence have more medical, gynecologic, and stress-related symptoms than non-abused women, and persons who have experienced partner violence are at increased risk of chronic conditions such as asthma, arthritis, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. Chronic stress associated with partner violence may also increase the risk of behavioral coping strategies, such as smoking and other substance use, that contribute to poor health. Particular physical injuries in women (contusions, lacerations, and fractures, especially in the head, neck, and face) are recognized indicators of intimate partner violence. Strangulation, a common but frequently unrecognized form of assault, can have long-term neurologic sequelae due to anoxia. Beneficial clinical programs for addressing intimate partner violence use a multicomponent approach that includes staff training, clinical tools, and connections to follow-up social services.

Citation: Miller E, McCaw B. Intimate partner violence. N Engl J Med. 2019;380:850–857.

Pages: 1 2 | Single Page

Filed Under: Literature Reviews Tagged With: diagnosis, patient careIssue: October 2019

You Might Also Like:

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Second Victims: The Effects of a Medical Error on Physicians Can Be Devastating
    • Advanced Degrees Can Help Otolaryngologists Better Understand the Business of Medicine
    • How to: A Dynamic Endonasal Columellar Strut Placement
    • Rating Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Severity: How Do Two Common Instruments Compare?
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Rating Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Severity: How Do Two Common Instruments Compare?
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • What Happens to Medical Students Who Don’t Match?
    • Complications for When Physicians Change a Maiden Name
    • Qualitative Research Shows How Patients Feel About Quality-of-Life Issues
    • How to: A Dynamic Endonasal Columellar Strut Placement
    • Second Victims: The Effects of a Medical Error on Physicians Can Be Devastating
    • Advanced Degrees Can Help Otolaryngologists Better Understand the Business of Medicine
    • Laser Laryngeal Surgery Is Safe Under THRIVE

Polls

Have you ever been, or have you ever known someone who has been a second victim?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Preferences

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2023 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939