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Abstract Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread public health problem and training of health professions students has become common. Understanding students' prior knowledge, attitudes and personal exposure to IPV will aid educators in designing more effective curriculum. As interprofessional educational efforts proliferate, understanding differences across disciplines will be critical. Findings Students in the schools of Medicine, Nursing and Rehabilitation at a university in Ontario attend an annual daylong interprofessional IPV training. To measure perceived role and comfort with IPV and prior personal exposure, we administered a brief Likert scale survey to a convenience sample of students over three years. 552 students completed the survey; the overall response rate was 73%. The majority (82%) agreed that it was their role to intervene in cases of IPV; however Rehabilitation students expressed lower overall comfort levels than did their peers in other schools (p < .0001). Gender, age and prior training on the subject were not significant predictors of comfort. Seven percent reported lifetime IPV and one-fifth had witnessed IPV, but these exposures did not predict comfort in adjusted logistic regression models. Conclusion While the majority of professional students believe it is their role to address IPV in clinical practice, comfort level varied significantly by field of study. More than one fifth of the students reported some personal exposure to IPV. However this did not impact their level of comfort in addressing this issue. Educators need to take students' preexisting attitudes and personal exposure into account when planning curriculum initiatives in this area.

Objective: The Veterans Health Administration established comprehensive women's health clinics (CWHCs) to provide coordinated, high-quality primary care to women veterans. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is prevalent among women using these clinics. The Veterans Health Administration recommends screening women for IPV, yet screening uptake is low in CWHCs nationwide. We describe a multisite quality improvement initiative to enhance the adoption of IPV screening practices in the Veterans Health Administration's CWHCs. Methods: This quality improvement initiative, implemented in 2017-2018, included 4 steps in which we (1) conducted a baseline survey of screening practices at CWHCs throughout the United States; (2) selected and tailored evidence-based implementation strategies based on identified barriers and facilitators; (3) deployed multicomponent implementation support, targeting low-adopting facilities; and (4) conducted a follow-up survey to evaluate changes in IPV screening practices from baseline (winter 2017) to 1-year follow-up (winter 2018) using quantitative and qualitative analyses. Results: Responders from 62 CWHC sites provided information on IPV screening practices and barriers; 42 low-adopting sites were targeted for implementation support. At follow-up, responders provided information on IPV screening practices, perceived usefulness of implementation support strategies, and continued barriers. Among sites that responded to both surveys (n = 47), the number of sites that implemented recommended screening practices increased by 66.7%, from 15 at baseline to 25 at follow-up (P =.02). Emergent themes reflected barriers and facilitators for IPV screening implementation. Conclusions: Improvement in IPV screening practices in CWHCs is a pivotal step toward enhancing care for women. Yet, even with numerous implementation supports, barriers to adoption persist at many sites. Findings on modifiable barriers and unique facilitators can inform next steps for increasing screening uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background This two-part study examines primary care clinicians' chart documentation and attitudes when confronted by a positive waiting room screen for intimate partner violence (IPV). Methods Patients at community hospital-affiliated health centers completed a screening questionnaire in waiting rooms that primary care providers (PCPs) were subsequently given at the time of the visit. We first reviewed the medical records of patients who screened positive for IPV, evaluating the presence and quality of documentation. Next we administered a survey to PCPs that measured their knowledge, attitudes and practice regarding IPV. Results Seventy-two percent of charts contained some documentation of IPV, however only 10% contained both a referral and safety plan. PCPs were more likely to refer patients (p < .05) who screened positively for mood or anxiety disorders, disclosed that they feared for their safety or were economically disadvantaged. Those that feared for their safety or endorsed mood or anxiety disorders were more likely to have notation of a safety plan in their records. When surveyed, 81.6% of clinicians strongly agreed that it is their role to inquire about IPV, but only 68% expressed confidence in their ability to manage it. In contrast, 93% expressed confidence in managing depression. Sixty-seven percent identified time constraints as a barrier to care. Predictors of PCP confidence in treating patients who have experienced IPV (p < .05) included hours of recent training and clinical experience with IPV. Conclusion Mandatory waiting room screening for IPV does not result in high levels of referral or safety planning by PCPs. Despite the implementation of a screening process, clinicians lack confidence and time to address IPV in their patient populations suggesting that alternative methods of training and supporting PCPs need to be developed.

Objective. While multimodal treatment approaches for fibromyalgia (FM), incorporating exercise, have been found most effective, information about factors associated with exercise adoption and maintenance is lacking. Design, Setting, and Methods. Women veterans with FM (N = 19) completed an anonymous Internet survey measuring FM impact (FI), adoption of exercise behavior, and self-efficacy for exercise. Using classifications of behavior specified by the transtheoretical model, the self-efficacy of participants classified in the action or maintenance (AM) stages was compared with those in earlier stages (precontemplation through preparation) of exercise readiness. Multivariate analysis of variance analyses examined differences in FI domains by stage of change. Analysis of covariance examined whether exercise self-efficacy differed by stage of change while controlling for FI. Results. Higher levels of self-efficacy were detected among participants in the AM stages. Participants in the AM stages also reported higher levels of FI symptoms. After controlling for FI, self-efficacy did not differ significantly between the 2 groups; however the effect size was large (η2 =.11). Conclusions. Findings of this pilot study suggest a role for self-efficacy in exercise adoption and maintenance, even in the setting of higher FM symptoms. Replication of this study with a larger sample size is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) entered the COVID-19 pandemic crisis with an existing and robust telehealth program, but it still faces a fundamental paradigm shift as most routine outpatient in-person care was converted to telehealth visits. Veterans are a highly trauma-exposed population, and VHA has long offered effective telemental health services. Natural disasters and pandemics like COVID-19 are known to be traumatic. Those with preexisting trauma exposure and mental health conditions are often at greater risk than the general population for long-term adverse health sequelae. Application of trauma-informed principles to telehealth care is critical and timely., Observations: Trauma-focused care (including telemental health) refers to evidence-based treatment models that directly facilitate recovery from trauma-related conditions like posttraumatic stress disorder. Despite the widespread availability of trauma-focused treatment in VHA, not all veterans chose to engage in it. In contrast, trauma-informed care (TIC) is a global, "universal precautions" approach to providing strengths-based, collaborative quality medical care in any discipline or location. In this article the authors, all primary care and mental health clinicians at VHA, advocate for the application of the 6 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration principles of trauma-informed care to telehealth. Using examples from telehealth research conducted in trauma-exposed patient populations, we illustrate the characteristics of telehealth that are well suited to delivery of trauma-informed care and suggest readily applicable strategies that can be used across disciplines including primary care and medical/surgical specialties. A primary care patient case scenario is included to illustrate how telehealth visits can be trauma-informed., Conclusions: Telehealth expansion has occurred nationally out of necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trauma-informed virtual care has the potential to ensure and even expand continuity of medical care by fostering safe and collaborative interactions between patients and the health care team., Competing Interests: Author disclosures The authors report no actual or potential conflicts of interest with regard to this article., (Copyright © 2020 Frontline Medical Communications Inc., Parsippany, NJ, USA.)