If Not Me, Then Who?”

Screening for domestic violence in healthcare settings increases detection. The emergency department (ED) is one setting where victims frequently attend with injuries and illnesses sustained from violence. However, screening rates remain suboptimal. There is little research about how formal screening occurs, or how less structured interactions are negotiated within the ED context. This article explores this important, but non-mandatory procedure within the context of clinician-patient interactions in Australia. A descriptive qualitative study was undertaken with 21 clinicians across seven EDs in Australia. Thematic analysis was undertaken by two researchers. Results indicate a lack of confidence around DV screening, and tensions in clinicians initiating conversation while managing their own emotional stressors. No participants expressed knowledge of formal screening processes in their workplaces. Successful DV screening programs must provide clinicians with the tools to minimize perceived discomfort in initiating and sustaining conversations while accepting patient preferences regarding disclosure

Context (archaeology · Conversation · Domestic violence · Emergency department · Family medicine · Front line · Injury prevention · Medical emergency · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Qualitative research · Suicide prevention · Thematic analysis · Child Abuse and Trauma · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies

• Identification of Intimate Partner Violence, and Support for Victim-Survivors by Rural and Remote Primary Healthcare Clinicians

  Open Access•Kaara Ray B Calma, Elizabeth Halcomb et al.•Journal of Family Violence•2026

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• Conceptualizing Domestic Violence Within Clinical Documentation

  Open Access•María Atiénzar-Prieto, Shannon Dhollande et al.•Global Qualitative Nursing Research•2024

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• Screening Women for Intimate Partner Violence

  Open Access•Heidi D Nelson, Christina Bougatsos et al.•Annals of Internal Medicine•2012

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• A Comparison of the Types of Screening Tool Administration Methods Used for the Detection of Intimate Partner Violence

  Open Access•Nasir Hussain, Sheila Sprague et al.•Trauma Violence & Abuse•2015

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• Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence Across Medical and Surgical Health Care Settings

  Open Access•Sheila Sprague, J Carel Goslings et al.•Violence Against Women•2014

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• Providing Support to IPV Victims in the Emergency Department

  Open Access•Melissa H Watts, Melissa H Watt et al.•Violence Against Women•2008

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• Health professionals’ beliefs about domestic abuse and the issue of disclosure

  Open Access•Julie Taylor, Caroline Bradbury-Jones et al.•Health & Social Care in the…•2013

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• Service Contacts Proximate to Intimate Partner Homicides in Victoria

  Open Access•Briony Murphy, Marg Liddell et al.•Journal of Family Violence•2015

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