Intimate Partner Violence Reporting and Assessment of Traumatic Brain Injuries and Strangulation by a New Zealand Hospital Health Service

Abstract

Purpose: To determine intimate partner violence (IPV) incidence reported by a hospital health service and the proportion of patients who received a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or strangulation assessment. Method: This retrospective review utilised IPV, TBI and strangulation screening data from one New Zealand hospital healthcare service between 01/01/2018 and 30/12/2021. Results: Over four years, 660 IPV reports showed an average incidence of 44.2 (95% CI: 37.5 to 52.2) per 100,000 population. New Zealand Māori had the highest incidence 81.8 (95% CI: 70.9 to 94.3) per 100,000 population. Nearly half (n = 328; 49.7%) of IPV survivors reportedly had been “choked” and over a third (n = 252; 38.2%) reportedly “knocked out”. Less than 1% of IPV survivors had a recorded TBI (n = 5; 0.8%) or strangulation (n = 4; 0.6%) assessment. Less than a quarter (24.2%) of IPV reports were completed by doctors and nurses, with social workers completing the most assessments (49.2%). Conclusions: Reported loss of consciousness and strangulations caused by IPV were high in this hospital setting, yet they were rarely assessed. New Zealand Māori had the highest incidence per ethnic population of partner inflicted TBI presenting to the hospital. There is a risk of potential TBIs being missed due to lack of assessment by registered medical and nursing professionals given the majority of reports were provided by allied health workers such as social workers. These data underscore the critical need for healthcare provider education and training in understanding, recognizing, and treating brain injuries in females who present to medical facilities with IPV.