Provider Barriers and Facilitators to Screening for Intimate Partner Violence in Bogotá, Colombia

Abstract

We conducted interviews with 27 health care personnel in Bogotá, Colombia, to examine provider barriers and facilitators to screening for intimate partner violence (IPV). We used systematic qualitative analysis to identify the range and consistency of beliefs. We found that respondents did not routinely screen for IPV. Providers listed numerous barriers to screening. Ways to improve screening included increased clinician training, installing systematic IPV screening, providing patient education, and implementing health care setting interventions. Improving the care for IPV survivors will involve translating health care personnel preferred solutions into more systematic IPV screening interventions.

Acknowledgments

We thank the Centro de Estudios e Investigación en Salud of the Fundación de Santa Fe de Bogotá, the School of Government at the Universidad de los Andes, and the Colombia Fulbright office for their support and assistance in carrying out this work. We also thank the directors and the staff at the UCLA Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program for their encouragement and support of this project. Dr. Baig's effort was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program and United States Fulbright Commission. Dr. Rodriguez's research was supported by the National Institutes of Mental Health Center for Culture, Trauma and Mental Health Disparities (grant no. 1P50MH073453 - 01A1) and the National Institutes of Health funded DREW/UCLA Project EXPORT. Dr. Ryan's effort was supported by RAND staff development.