LEARNING OUTCOME AND OBJECTIVES:  Upon completion of this continuing education course, you will have increased your understanding of the impact of domestic violence and the role of the Florida nurse in identifying and responding to patients presenting with known or suspected domestic violence signs and symptoms. Specific learning objectives to address potential learning gaps include:

• Define “domestic violence” according to Florida law.
• Identify the different types of domestic violence.
• Describe who is affected by domestic violence.
• Discuss the healthcare implications and adverse effects of domestic violence.
• List common risk factors, lethality issues, and dynamics of abuse.
• Recognize the signs and symptoms of domestic violence.
• Discuss appropriate documentation in cases of suspected domestic violence.
• Summarize Florida’s mandatory reporting, information sharing, and referral requirements.
• Identify community resources and victim services and protections.

INTRODUCTION

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men in the United States will experience serious physical violence from a domestic partner over their lifetime, and sometimes it will result in death. In the United States, 1 in 6 victims of homicide are killed by a domestic partner, and nearly half of female victims of homicide are killed by a current or former intimate partner (CDC, 2019a). Viewed as a national public health problem, domestic violence is a crime in all 50 states.

Domestic violence, which is believed to be underreported, affects not only victims but also their families and communities through a ripple effect. Victims of this crime experience diminished quality of life, decreased productivity, and negative health consequences. An estimated lifetime economic cost to society of $3.6 trillion is attributed to domestic violence (CDC, 2019a).

The definition of domestic violence according to the Florida Department of Children and Families is “a pattern of behaviors that adults or adolescents use against their intimate partners or former partners to establish power and control. It may include physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and economic abuse. It may also include threats, isolation, pet abuse, using children, and a variety of other behaviors to maintain fear, intimidation, and power over one’s partner” (FL DCF, 2019).

Florida statutes define domestic violence as any assault, aggravated assault, battery or aggravated battery, sexual assault or battery, stalking, aggravated stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment, or any criminal offense resulting in physical injury or death of one family or household member by another family or household member.

Family or household member is defined as current or former spouses, persons related by blood or marriage, persons who currently reside together or resided together in the past as if a family, parents of a child in common regardless of whether married or not. With the exception of those who have a child in common, the family or household members must currently reside or have in the past resided together in the same single dwelling unit (Florida Legislature, 2019).