Development of a Global Knowledge Sharing Program to Improve Care of Intimate Partner Violence Survivors

Introduction: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a violation of human rights that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries. Each country’s approach to this problem is inherently different and fragmented, making it a global public health dilemma. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly every country experienced significant increases in cases of IPV and other violent crimes. This highlights the dire need for continued improvements in our policies and procedures regarding victim identification and care. Methods: Learners from the United States (US) and Japan engaged in a weeklong lecture series covering topics of child abuse, IPV, sexual assault, and human trafficking. The objective of this project was to engage in an open dialogue to compare and contrast each country’s judicial and health policies regarding violent crimes. Before and after each lecture session, learners were asked to complete an eight-question self-assessment (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree) evaluating their knowledge of the topics. Results: A five-day lecture series was presented to 159 learners (68% nurses, 6% social workers, 3% physicians, and 23% others). Survey data demonstrated a consistent post-course improvement in self-assessment of clinical evaluation skills (x̄=3.1-3.7, p=0.0001), case management skills (x̄=2.9-3.4, p=0.0007), awareness of resources (x̄=3.2-3.7, p=0.006), willingness to report suspected cases (x̄=4-4.3, p=0.032), and understanding of a forensic nurses’ role (x̄=3.3-4.1, p=0.0001). A decrease in self-reported overall competency was observed after each lecture session (x̄=4.6-3.7, p=0.0001). A majority (58.7%) of learners indicated the lecture series content would change their future practice. Conclusion: This project was successful in establishing a knowledge exchange between the US and Japan, highlighting key differences in each country’s judicial and healthcare procedures while identifying areas in need of improvement. The continuation of similar relationship-building and knowledge-exchange efforts is critical to global efforts in combating IPV and violent crimes to improve community wellness.