Assessing Readiness of Community Pharmacists to Identify Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Specific Aims: To characterize and describe pharmacist reported barriers to identifying patients experiencing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). To examine the relationship between various demographics and community pharmacists’ willingness and ability to identify patients experiencing intimate partner violence in their community practice. Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study that used data obtained through an online questionnaire of community pharmacists. All the community pharmacy-based preceptors registered with the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy currently practicing were included. Main Results: Gender and education level were not a significant factor in pharmacists' perceived knowledge about IPV. For actual knowledge, regarding gender, there were significant differences in terms of females correctly identifying depression as a warning sign of patient having been abused by their partner (p = 0.04), while those with a PharmD were able to identify anxiety as a warning sign compared to B.S. (p = 0.02). Most pharmacists screened agreed with the statements that they were simply too busy to assist on multidisciplinary teams that manage IPV cases (N=12, 60.0%), agreed that screening for IPV may offend those who were screened (N=15, 68.2%), and were not able to gather the information necessary to identify IPV as causes for medication utilization (N=11, 64.7%). Conclusions: The survey was beneficial in determining that IPV training and higher education is integral in identifying IPV and helping victims of IPV. More IPV training is needed by pharmacists, but this study is an important steppingstone in evaluating the necessity of training for pharmacists to assist patients who are facing IPV.