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Patient interview

How to screen for intimate partner violence

Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.

MD / DOPANursing (NCLEX)EMS (NREMT)
Practice it in VR with Blocky

Screen alone with the patient. Asking directly and kindly can save a life.

Step by step

  1. Ensure privacy

    Ask alone, without partners or family, and with a professional interpreter if needed. [1]

  2. Normalize

    "We ask everyone because it is common." [1]

  3. Ask directly

    "Has anyone hurt you, threatened you or made you feel afraid?" [2]

  4. Listen and believe

    Thank them for telling you. It is not their fault. [1]

  5. Assess safety

    Is it safe to go home? Weapons, strangulation, threats, children at risk. [2]

  6. Document and refer

    Record injuries and words; give hotline and local resources safely. [2]

  7. Respect their choices

    Follow mandatory reporting laws where they apply, and plan follow-up. [1]

Common errors

Practice it in Making Synapses

In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.

Making Synapses cases that train this skill

10 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library

Sources

  1. AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs)
  2. NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint
  3. NBOME COMLEX-USA clinical presentations

Facts and steps follow NBOME COMLEX-USA clinical presentations; NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint; AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.