Health Care Protocols
last updated August 2013
Futures without Violence (formerly the Family Violence Prevention Fund) recognizes that “[t]here are a number of important steps to take in preparing a health care setting or practice for identifying and responding to patients experiencing domestic violence.”[1] At a minimum, protocols should support staff in screening, identifying and assessing abuse, treating victims, documenting and reporting, and intervening (safety planning, discharge planning, and referral).[2] Futures without Violence recognizes a number of model protocols that address specific settings or provide creative approaches to responding to domestic violence. These include: Community Public Health Services (city and county of San Francisco), Guidelines for Clinical Assessment and Intervention (Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center, Oregon), Domestic Violence and Strangulation Policy (Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts), and Protocol for Adolescent Relationship Abuse Prevention and intervention.[3]
According to the Compendium of State Statutes and Policies on Domestic Violence and Health Care, very few states require domestic violence protocols for, training for, and screening by health care providers. As of 2010, only California, New York, and Pennsylvania had such requirements according to authors of the study. Several other states have protocols in place for health care providers. Examples include: Ohio Domestic Violence Protocol for Health Care Providers: Standards of Care(2012)[7] and New Hampshire Domestic Violence Protocol for Health Professionals.[8]
See the recommendation on health care protocols for domestic violence in the UN Handbook for Legislation on Violence against Women (2010).
 
[1] “Domestic Violence and Health Care Protocols,” Futures without Violence, accessed August 12, 2013, http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/section/our_work/health/_health_material/_dv_healthcare_protocols.
[2] Futures without Violence, Minimal Elements of a Domestic Violence Protocol (2009), accessed August 12, 2013, http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/userfiles/file/HealthCare/MinimalElements.pdf.
[3] “Health Care: Domestic Violence and Health Care Protocols,” Futures without Violence, accessed August 12, 2013, http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/section/our_work/health/_health_material/_dv_healthcare_protocols.
[4] Family Violence Prevention Fund, Compendium of State Statutes and Policies on Domestic Violence and Health Care (2010), accessed August 12, 2013, http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/fysb/state_compendium.pdf.
[5] Academy on Violence & Abuse, Competencies Needed by Health Professionals for Addressing Exposure to Violence and Abuse in Patient Care (2011), accessed August 12, 2013, http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/userfiles/file/HealthCare/CoreCompetenciesFinalApril2011.pdf.
[6] Linda Chamberlain and Rebecca Levenson, Addressing Intimate Partner Violence Reproductive and Sexual Coercion: A Guide for Obstetric, Gynecologic, Reproductive Health Care Settings (3d ed., 2013), accessed August 12, 2013, http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/userfiles/file/HealthCare/Reproductive%20Health%20Guidelines.pdf.
[7] Ohio Domestic Violence Network and the National Health Care Standards Campaign Committee Ohio Chapter, Ohio Domestic Violence Protocol for Health care Providers: Standards of Care (revised by the Project Connect Protocol Committee in 2012), accessed August 12, 2013, www.healthyohioprogram.org/~/media/HealthyOhio/ASSETS/Files/SADVP/DV_Protocol_122012.ashx.
[8] Healthcare Committee of the N.H. Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, Domestic Violence Protocol for Health Professionals: Identification and Treatment of Adult Victims (2009), accessed August 12, 2013, http://doj.nh.gov/criminal/victim-assistance/documents/health-care-protocol.pdf.