Intervening with victims of intimate partner violence.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a critically important public health problem. Physicians and other health care providers have a unique opportunity to help IPV victims, not only in treatment but in prevention of this devastating problem. Health-care providers should receive thorough and on-going training and administrative support for identifying, appropriately treating, and referring IPV victims to IPV advocates and other community-based resources with whom the provider has developed a close working relationship. In the clinical setting, health-care providers may intervene early as the victim¹s first and only point of contact concerning the violence in their lives. In the larger community, health-care providers can become spokespersons and educators to help change social norms and can get involved in coordinated community responses to ensure cohesive actions by all societal sectors to prevent IPV in their communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]