Keywords: Intimate Partner Violence ; Women ; Brief intervention

Background:

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health concern, affecting 10% women in France. Although systematic screening by general practitioners (GPs) has been recommended by the French National Authority for Health (HAS) since 2019, its implementation remains limited due to the lack of structured post-screening support. This gap hinders GPs from engaging fully in systematic screening, despite its key role in initiating protection and empowerment processes for victims.

Research questions:

The objective is to optimize the screening practice of women victims of IPV by GPs, by integrating a structured brief intervention (BI) according to the Screening and Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model. Secondary step will assess the feasibility and acceptability of the BI among GPs and victims, and to analyze barriers and facilitators to its implementation.

Method:

The project includes four phases: (1) a qualitative exploratory study among healthcare professionals and victims, (2) the design of the BI using a structured consensus method combining nominal groups and a Delphi round, (3) a pre-test of the BI among volunteer GPs, and (4) a cluster-randomized controlled trial evaluating the impact of the BI on the rate of IPV screening in primary care. Evaluation criteria include the number of screenings performed, feasibility and acceptability of the BI, and GPs' confidence in conducting screenings.

Results:

This project received funding through the French RESP-IR 2025 call for projects (Primary Care Research – Interdisciplinary Network).

Conclusions:

This project could promote earlier and more systematic IPV screening, improve the support provided to victims in primary care, and help break the intergenerational cycle of violence, ultimately contributing to better public health outcomes.

Points for discussion:

Take advantage of this EGPRN meeting focused on continuity of care and multidisciplinary collaboration to seek advice on implementing this primary care project on intimate partner violence.