Screening mnemonic for IPV: HITS

The HITS mnemonic:

Has your partner ever...

Hurt you physically?

Insulted you?

Threatened you with harm?

Screamed or cursed at you?

There's also a validated instrument where you can rate and score the frequency of the above behaviors (1). Each item is scored from 1-5 (1=never, 2=rarely, 3=sometimes, 4=fairly often, 5=frequently). Scores for this inventory range from 4-20. A score of greater than 10 is considered positive.

Universal screening for IPV is recommended in women of reproductive age (USPSTF Grade B level of evidence; 2).

1. Sherin, K. M., Sinacore, J. M., Li, X. Q., Zitter, R. E., & Shakil, A. (1998). HITS: a short domestic violence screening tool for use in a family practice setting. FAMILY MEDICINE-KANSAS CITY-, 30, 508-512.
2. Curry, S. J., Krist, A. H., Owens, D. K., Barry, M. J., Caughey, A. B., Davidson, K. W., ... & US Preventive Services Task Force. (2018). Screening for intimate partner violence, elder abuse, and abuse of vulnerable adults: US Preventive Services Task Force final recommendation statement. Jama, 320(16), 1678-1687.