Rural Appalachian Health Care Providers' Perceived Barriers to Intimate Partner Violence Screening in Primary Care

• Main Author: Tedder, Jamie
• Format: Others
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2012
• Subjects: Intimate Partner Violence; Primary Care; Screening; Medicine and Health; Rural Sociology; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Sociology
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1509; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2702&context=etd

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a major problem in the United States. There are many health concerns associated with IPV (e.g. chronic pain, gynecological problems), leading researchers to examine the detection and management of IPV in primary care settings. However, a disproportionate amount of this research has focused on the detection and management of IPV in urban primary care clinics, with the detection and management of IPV in rural primary care being largely understudied. The current study addresses this gap in the literature by describing the screening practices and barriers to screening reported by rural providers as well as differences in rural and urban providers in regards to amount and type of barriers reported. Eighty-seven primary care providers (47=Rural) were surveyed about IPV screening practices and barriers to screening. Providers identified barriers related to both professional issues and personal beliefs. There were no significant differences in rural and urban providers in regards to number and type of reported barriers. Implications for the management of IPV in rural primary care settings are discussed.