Assessing Medical Student Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault Following Protocol Training in a Student-Run Clinic Network

Abstract

Background: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Sexual Assault (SA) represent critical challenges in clinical settings, impacting patient safety and well-being. IPV and SA can be prevalent among vulnerable unhoused populations like the patients that are served at the Tulane Student Run Clinics. This study assesses how implementing IPV/SA protocols in the student clinic will impact student-reported comfort and knowledge about IPV/SA.

Methods: A protocol was developed to guide clinic leaders on how to interact with victims of IPV/SA. Training was conducted for clinic leaders to learn how to follow the protocol. Leaders completed a survey before the one-hour training and again immediately after the training evaluating the training’s impact on their comfort in assessing and treating patients experiencing IPV, as well as their knowledge of IPV. Pre and post-training responses were compared using paired t-tests, and the threshold for statistical significance was p<.05. Data was analyzed using R 4.3.3 (2024, R Foundation, Vienna, Austria).

Results: The study included a sample size of 24 participants. The results show that students felt significantly more comfortable (p < 0.001), knowledgeable (p < 0.001), and confident (p < 0.001) about the topic of IPV/SA after the training. Students were also more prepared and willing (p < 0.001) to discuss subjects such as sexual health and sexual assault with patients. The study found no significant difference in students perceived necessity (p = 0.50) of a standardized protocol after the training.
Conclusions: Protocol-based IPV/SA training was associated with significant improvements in participant comfort, knowledge, confidence, and preparedness. These findings suggest that utilizing structured IPV/SA training may strengthen student-run clinic leaders' ability to identify and support patients experiencing IPV/SA.