Intimate partner violence is a growing public health concern worldwide, and nurses are uniquely positioned to help identify and refer patients for services. Yet, intimate partner violence injury patterns and characteristics often go unrecognized.

The purpose of this study is to explore injury and sociodemographic characteristics associated with intimate partner violence in women presenting to a single emergency department in Israel.

This retrospective cohort study analyzed medical records of married women injured by their spouse who presented to a single emergency department in Israel from January 1, 2016, to August 31, 2020.

In total, 145 cases were included, of which 110 (76%) were Arab and 35 (24%) were Jewish, with a mean age of 40. Patients' injury patterns consisted of contusions, hematomas, and lacerations to the head, face, or upper extremities, not requiring hospitalization, and having a history of emergency department visits in the past 5 years.

Identifying intimate partner violence characteristics and patterns of injury will help nurses identify, initiate treatment, and report suspected abuse.