Incorporating Teaching of Intimate Partner Violence and Trauma- and Violence-Informed Care into Medical Education Curricula

A form of interpersonal violence of particular importance for providers of women’s health care is intimate partner violence (IPV), defined as “behaviour within an intimate relationship that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm, including acts of physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviours”.1 IPV is an alarmingly common experience: almost a third of women worldwide are physically or sexually abused by their partner. Survivors are at increased risk of significant health sequelae, including: