Screening As a Tool for Prevention

A US News and World Reports article, commenting on a HealthDay News report, concludes that screening patients for domestic violence in doctors' offices, clinics and hospitals is not instrumental in reducing subsequent episodes of abuse.
The account of the study seems to imply that the screening is done in the vacuum of the office, and doesn't include collaboration with local domestic violence organizations such as Womancare.
A successful protocol should include universal patient screening, collaborative referrals to domestic violence projects, and appropriate follow up. In the privacy of the physicians' offices, patients are generally safe to confide the issues related to their well-being, or can choose not to.
Screening alone cannot be expected to change the dynamics of living in an abusive situation. There is no pill; but the prescription should be to work with domestic violence prevention and intervention organizations to seek relief for the victims.