Adopt the Evidence-Based CUES Intervention
CUES: an Evidence-Based Intervention
Providers should talk with all patients about the elements of healthy and unhealthy relationships, the health effects of violence, health promotion strategies, and resources. Learn more about CUES, the evidence-based, trauma-informed intervention for addressing domestic violence in health settings.
Steps of the CUES Intervention
- C: Confidentiality
Always see the patient alone for at least part of the visit and disclose your limits of confidentiality before discussing IPV. - UE: Universal Education
Use our safety cards to talk with all patients about healthy and unhealthy relationships and the health effects of violence. Always give at least two cards to each patient so that they can share with friends and family. - S: Support
Disclosure is not the goal, but they will happen. Make a warm referral to your DV partner and document the disclosure in order to follow up at the next visit. Share health promotion strategies to support patient health and safety while surviving abuse.
Setting Specific Training, Tools, and Strategies
A team-based approach is critical to the success of your program. Train all staff – from the front desk to physicians— to be able to talk about about healthy relationships, respond to disclosures, and support survivors. There are many ways to tailor this evidence-based intervention to ensure that the support you are providing to survivors is setting specific and patient-centered.
Stay up to date with the latest resources and information from the National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence.