A Scoping Review of Intimate Partner Violence Referrals Within Healthcare Settings

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health problem that medical providers can help address by identifying affected patients and providing appropriate referrals. This scoping review examines IPV referrals in healthcare settings—the step that occurs after IPV victimization is identified by a medical provider through a screening tool. Three research databases—Criminal Justice Abstracts, PubMed, and PsycINFO—were searched for literature published between 2012 and 2022, using the key terms “intimate partner violence,” “screen*,” and “refer*.” Sources ( n = 265) were screened using three primary eligibility requirements: (a) an adult was the primary victim of IPV, (b) a screening and referral process occurred in a healthcare setting by a healthcare professional who routinely conducted screenings, and (c) a referral process, the period after IPV was positively identified through the use of a screener, was explored. After removing 172 articles during initial abstract screening and another 10 articles after full text review, 36 studies compromised the final dataset. Findings show inconsistencies and gaps in the referral process within healthcare settings. While numerous medical bodies recommend IPV screening, our review reveals a lack of consistency in what follows a positive IPV screening, particularly with regard to referral type and frequency. Referral effectiveness was measured in multiple ways across studies, and several barriers to referrals were identified. The findings from this scoping review suggest that future research should untether empirical investigations of the referral process from screening, and researchers should work with practitioners to explore the effect of consistent referrals with patient follow-ups.