Summary: Your primary objective when raising suspicion of IPV isn’t to force a confession or urge patients to get out. Instead, it is to provide repeated, safe opportunities so patients can recognize their circumstances, avail themselves of resources, and make decisions on their own timeline.
Turn, Turn, Turn: Imagers tend to treat IPV disclosure like a pathology report, expecting confirmation as soon as findings get flagged. When a patient denies abuse, it’s easy to feel disappointed or assume the assessment was incorrect.
In Episode 4 of the AJR Podcast Series on Extreme Radiology, Dr. Bharti Khurana spoke with hosts Drs. Lindsey Negrete and Amy Maduram about framing disclosure not as one, singular outcome, but rather as opening a too tight “pickle jar.” Each safe, compassionate conversation loosens that lid until your patient is finally ready and empowered to seek support.
- Team Effort: Opening a stubborn jar requires passing it from person to person.
- The provider who hears that ultimate disclosure didn’t work alone—every preceding interaction turned the lid just a little bit further.
- And even if a patient declined today, creating a supportive opportunity will help that lid loosen for tomorrow.
Obstacles to full disclosure are legion. Patients may not even ID their situation as IPV, much less realize that health care systems offer confidential resources.
- Concerns regarding safety, children, housing, financial security, or immigration status often compel the quiet.
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