AHRQ Awards New Research Projects to Help Victims of Domestic Violence

Press Release Date: November 14, 2000

The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) today announced the award of approximately 5.5 million dollars in total projected funding over the next five years to fund four new research projects to improve treatment and outcomes for victims of domestic violence. These grants are funded under AHRQ's Request for Applications (RFA) entitled "Violence Against Women: Evaluating Health Care Interventions," which was released on February 16, 2000.

Health care organizations have a critical opportunity to identify victims of intimate partner violence and to provide services that enhance health outcomes. Funding research in this area will provide these organizations with evidence-based findings about treatment approaches that are most effective. To that end, the goals of the RFA, released as part of the Secretary of Health and Human Services' Fiscal Year 2000 initiative on violence against women, were to develop new knowledge in the prevention of domestic violence, improve the identification of female patients at risk, and evaluate outcomes and effectiveness of health care interventions designed to treat domestic violence victims.

The newly funded projects are:

• Treatment Outcomes for Abused Women in Public Clinics. Principal investigator: Janet Y. Groff, M.D., Ph.D., University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX. Total projected funding: $1,973,506. Project period: 9/30/00-8/31/04.

  This study will evaluate the effectiveness of nurse case management and group education for African-American, Hispanic, and White abused women attending two inner city primary care clinics. These two clinics are part of a county-wide clinic and hospital system for indigent citizens. In addition, researchers will evaluate the impact of the interventions on the health, functional status, and medical utilization of abused women's children.

• A Randomized Control Trial of Computer Screening for Domestic Violence. Principal investigator: Wendy Levinson, M.D., University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Total projected funding: $1,031,581. Project period: 9/30/00-8/31/03.

  This project will evaluate the effectiveness of a computerized assessment tool to enhance the ability of clinicians in emergency departments to identify potential victims of domestic violence and to recommend specific strategies for management. The study will enroll women who come to the emergency departments of two hospitals, one in the inner city and the other in the suburbs.

• The Cost and Benefits of Intervening: Battered Women's Mental and Physical Health Over Time. Principal investigator: Laura McCloskey, Ph.D., Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Total projected funding: $1,231,268. Project period: 9/30/00-8/31/05.

  This study will compare and contrast seven existing domestic violence interventions located in different hospital settings. Findings from this study will offer new information on the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of different hospital-based interventions and is designed to identify effective programs and encourage their adoption.

• Outcomes for Intimate Partner Violence: Patient and Provider Perspectives. Principal investigator: Michael Rodriguez, M.D., University of California, San Francisco, CA. Total projected funding: $1,253,078. Project period: 9/30/00-9/29/04.

  This project will study 125 Latina women in prenatal clinics in San Francisco who are at risk for intimate partner violence (IPV). One of the primary objectives of this study is to ascertain women's preferences for health care outcomes from IPV interventions. The broad objectives are to develop methodologies for effectiveness research to assess and incorporate the heterogeneity of health problems associated with IPV among diverse populations.

For more information, contact AHRQ Public Affairs (301) 427-1364: Salina Prasad, (301) 427-1864 (SPrasad@ahrq.gov).

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Internet Citation:

AHRQ Awards New Research Projects to Help Victims of Domestic Violence. Press Release, November 14, 2000. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2000/domviolpr.htm

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