When
California State law specifies “routine screening”, however the word “routine” may be open to interpretation.
Various specialty societies have suggested guidelines for when to screen:
- American College of Physicians - “recommends routine screening in primary care settings and when patients present to emergency care with traumatic injuries”
- American Medical Association - "Intimate partner violence and its medical and psychiatric sequelae are sufficiently prevalent to justify routine screening of all women patients in emergency, surgical, primary care, pediatric, prenatal, and mental health settings." (2000)
- American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology - recommends screening all patients at gyn, family planning and pre-conception visits, and during pregnancy each trimester and postpartum.
- American Academy of Pediatrics - The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect recommends routine screening of all women for abuse at the time of the well-child visit, and implementation of a protocol that includes a safety plan for the entire family.
- The American College of Emergency Physicians - “encourages emergency personnel to screen patients for domestic violence and to appropriately refer any of them who indicate domestic violence may be a problem.”
- American Nursing Association - supports "education of nurses, healthcare providers and women in skills necessary for prevention of violence against women; assessment of women in healthcare institutions and community settings; and research on violence against women."