Essential Health Care Services Addressing Intimate Partner Violence

Course overview

Course Description: This course examines the landscape of intimate partner violence (IPV) as a major public health concern, drawing on the 2024 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consensus report. Participants explore the definition and forms of IPV, prevalence data from the CDC's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, and the wide range of physical, reproductive, and mental health consequences experienced by survivors. The course addresses essential health care services for IPV, including universal screening, safety planning, forensic examinations, and behavioral health care. It also examines health disparities among populations disproportionately affected by IPV, barriers to disclosure and care access, prevention strategies across the lifespan, and the heightened risks for IPV during public health emergencies (PHEs). A phased framework for restoring IPV-related services during PHEs is presented, along with federal recommendations for training, supply preparedness, and research priorities. This course on essential health care services addressing intimate partner violence is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. This course is appropriate for intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop or increase their knowledge of intimate partner violence screening, intervention, and care coordination. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require continuing education courses on intimate partner violence or domestic violence for license renewal. Authors: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Learning Objectives: This course will provide a professional with detailed information about essential health care services addressing intimate partner violence. Specifically, the practitioner will: 1. Identify the definition, forms, and population-level prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the United States and describe the range of physical, reproductive, and mental health consequences associated with IPV exposure. 2. Describe the essential health care services for IPV identified by the National Academies committee, explain the role of universal screening, safety planning, and warm referrals. 3. Recognize the health disparities and barriers that affect access to IPV care among marginalized populations. Citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2024). Essential health care services addressing intimate partner violence. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27425