Imaging and injury patterns vary between women who disclose abuse and those who do not, assisting radiologists in identifying domestic violence victims earlier.
- Patients experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) undergo more imaging studies, exhibiting distinct injury patterns
- IPV patients undergo frequent imaging during overnight and weekend periods, especially to the head, face, and thorax
- IPV often goes unrecognized, with radiologists helping identify victims earlier through imaging and injury analysis
Using Radiology as a Screening Tool to Identify Intimate Partner Violence
Go to source). The purpose of this study was to educate radiologists about the imaging and injury patterns associated with IPV, enabling them to identify these patients more effectively and earlier. The aim was to examine how radiological imaging and injury patterns differ between women who have reported IPV and those who have not.
Globally, about 1 in 3 women have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence.’





Imaging Studies and Injury Patterns Comparison
This study compared the amount, types, and timing of imaging studies, as well as injury patterns, between patients experiencing IPV and those who have not reported IPV. All prior imaging studies of the patients were collected, and radiologists were asked to analyze them retrospectively. They reviewed the radiology reports and documented the type and anatomical location of any injuries. Additionally, the day of the week, time of day, and clinical setting (e.g., Emergency Department) where each image was taken were recorded, enabling a comparison of these factors between the case and control groups.Radiological Evidence of IPV-Related Injuries
It was determined that patients experiencing IPV:- Underwent more imaging studies than controls and tended to have a disproportionate amount of their imaging performed during overnight and weekend periods
- Had a higher rate of radiologically evident injuries across most anatomic sites and had distinctive injury patterns, with particularly high rates of injuries to the head, face, and thorax
- Were more likely to experience synchronous injuries (at least two unique injuries identified during a single clinical encounter) and asynchronous injuries (at least two unique injuries identified during separate clinical encounters)
Challenges in Recognizing IPV Across Clinical Encounters
This work has the potential to help patients by enabling radiologists to detect IPV earlier. It is well known that the experience of IPV often goes unrecognized across repeated clinical encounters. The goal of this work is to help shorten the time between the initial clinical presentation and the recognition of IPV.The Journal of American Radiology will disseminate these findings through continuing medical education (CME) credit to radiologists so that they can more accurately raise suspicion for IPV and effectively communicate this with patient-facing clinicians. The aim is also to develop artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled clinical decision support tools that utilize imaging and other data to assess real-time IPV risk for individual patients.
In conclusion, this study emphasizes the vital role of radiologists in identifying IPV through distinctive injury patterns in imaging. By improving recognition and training, radiologists can help detect IPV earlier, potentially reducing delays in diagnosis and intervention, with the future promise of AI tools further supporting this effort.
Reference:
- Using Radiology as a Screening Tool to Identify Intimate Partner Violence - (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1546144025000031)
Source-Medindia