This article provides health care practitioners and clinicians with the most current valid assessment and screening tools for evaluating pregnant women for intimate partner violence (IPV) in a health care setting.

IPV is defined as an actual or threatened abuse by an intimate partner that may be physical, sexual, psychological, or emotional in nature.1 Intimate partners can be both current and former marital or nonmarital partners, including a spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend, or dating partner of the same or opposite sex. It is important to note that IPV can also encompass a wide range of controlling or threatening behaviors not limited to physical or sexual abuse and battery, such as economic control, manipulation of children, and isolating the women from friends and family.