ABSTRACT
SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with a rise of intimate partner violence (IPV) and increased use of televisits but there is no published curricula addressing IPV assessment and management in the primary care televisit setting. A novel and virtual 90-minute workshop was developed and delivered to small groups of internal medicine interns at an academic medical center. DESCRIPTION: The workshop consisted of a slide show reviewing IPV, audiovisual testimony of an IPV victim, fishbowl interview roleplaying, and a prerecorded session with our clinic social worker. The workshop answered five learning objectives that established a foundational knowledge of IPV, addressed specifically how it impacts our patient population, and presented tangible next steps to identify and manage IPV in the televisit ambulatory setting. EVALUATION: Interns' attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and clinical interview practices were evaluated before and six weeks after the workshop with a voluntary two-section survey and virtual Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). First section reproduced a validated survey by Maiuro et al. with six categories: Blame, Inquiry, Role Resistance, Provider's Perceived Efficacy, System Support, and Victim/Provider Safety. Second section consisted of knowledge questions based on Insetta et al.'s shortened PREMIS survey. Statistical analysis was carried out with signed rank and McNemar's tests. Of the 40 interns who completed the workshop, 36 (90%) completed the pre-post survey. There were improvements in Provider's Perceived Efficacy, System Support, and IPV Inquiry categories. Learners had improved confidence in strategies to inquire about IPV (p <0.01), reported improved ability to provide resources (p <0.01) and make appropriate referrals (p <0.01), and increase in access to IPV management information (p <0.01). Learners felt social work or community advocates as well as mental health services were readily accessible (p <0.01). Post-workshop knowledge questions revealed an overall improvement (p <0.01). Most significant IPV knowledge improvements were in state- based reporting requirements and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on IPV incidence (p = 0.02, p = 0.05, respectively). Learners reported more frequent clinical practice inquiries about IPV in patients with chronic pelvic pain, headaches, and mood disorders (p = <0.01, 0.012, 0.014, respectively). DISCUSSION / REFLECTION / LESSONS LEARNED: A brief virtual and novel IPV curriculum increased resident knowledge of IPV and confidence in ability to identify, assess, and effectively manage IPV in televisits. It led to a reported increase in IPV inquiries in clinical practice. In combination, this readily transportable curriculum has potential for positively impacting the care of patients experiencing IPV. Next steps include analyzing our pre-post OSCEs to elucidate if IPV interviewing skills also improved.