Council-Based Approaches to Reforming the Health Care Response to Domestic Violence: Promising Findings and Cautionary Tales

Councils are commonly formed to address social issues including intimate partner violence (IPV). Research suggests that councils
may be well positioned to achieve proximal outcomes, but that their success may depend on contextual factors. The current
study compared providers and health care settings at two points in time to explore the degree to which the Health Care Council
achieved proximal outcomes in the health care response to IPV, including: (a) providers’ reported capacity to screen for IPV,
(b) providers’ beliefs about IPV as a health care issue and about the IPV screening process, (c) providers’ screening behaviors
and (d) organizational policies and protocols to encourage screening. This study, while preliminary, provides support for
council-based efforts to stimulate change in the health care response to IPV and also highlights the central role that organizational
environment plays in shaping desired outcomes.