Effect of an administrative intervention on rates of screening for domestic violence in an urban emergency department

Abstract

Objectives. This study measured the effects of an administrative intervention on health care provider compliance with universal domestic violence screening protocols. Methods. We used a simple, interrupted-time-series design in a stratified random sample of female emergency department patients 18 years or older (n = 1638 preintervention, n = 1617 postintervention). The intervention was a 4-tiered hospital-approved disciplinary action, and the primary outcome was screening compliance. Results. Preintervention and post-intervention screening rates were 29.5% and 72.8%, respectively. Before the intervention, screening was worse on the night shift (odds ratio [OR]=0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.31, 0.68) and with psychiatric patients (OR=0.34, 95 % CI=0.14, 0.85); after the intervention, no previous screening barriers remained significant. Conclusions. An administrative intervention significantly enhanced compliance with universal domestic violence screening.