A woman was seen in the emergency department with a greenstick broken arm and chest bruises. She explained she fell up a staircase at home while carrying laundry to the bedrooms

Question

Besides assessing for other injuries, which of the following actions should be taken by the nurse?
a.
Ask about and educate regarding intimate partner violence (IPV)
b.
Assess for use of alcohol or other drugs that might have been a causative factor in the fall
c.
Get the patient an x-ray examination to determine location and severity of the break
d.
Immediately apply ice and immobilize in a sling

Answer 1

ANS: A
IPV, formerly known as domestic violence, is a pattern of
coercive behaviors perpetrated by someone who is or was in an intimate relationship with the victim, such as a spouse, ex-spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend, ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend, or date. These behaviors may include battering resulting in physical injury, psychological abuse, and sexual assault that contributes to progressive social isolation and intimidation of the victim. Abuse is typically repetitive and often escalates in frequency and severity. IPV crosses all ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, and educational lines. About 30% of women and 1% of men report experiencing physical forms of IPV at some point in their lives. Thus, the nurse must assess for IPV.