U.S. Group Does Not Recommend for or Against Screening for Family Violence
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has issued updated recommendations on routine screening for physical abuse, neglect of children, intimate partner violence and elder abuse (Clinical Guidelines, p. 382). The Task Force found the published evidence insufficient to show that such screenings lead to decreased disability or premature death, and it says that no studies address the harms of screening and interventions for family and intimate partner violence. As a result, the Task Force could not determine the balance between the benefits and harms of screening for family violence. Despite finding insufficient evidence, the Task Force notes that all clinicians should be alert to physical and behavioral signs and symptoms of abuse or neglect and take proper measures. An editorial writer says that despite lack of proof that interventions work, the medical profession, which seeks "to meld science and art in the service of humanity," should remain vigilant and look and listen carefully for family and intimate partner violence among children, women or older adults (Editorial, p. 399).
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Annals of Internal Medicine