Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Advocacy Interventions for Adult Victims of Domestic Violence Within an Emergency Department Setting

Advocacy interventions for survivors of domestic violence are well established and supported by evidence in some community and healthcare settings. Survivors of domestic violence identified in emergency departments have important differences, and it is not clear whether evidence can be applied to this population. We conducted an inclusive systematic review of controlled studies evaluating the effectiveness of advocacy workers for adult survivors identified in emergency departments. We identified five studies, all with substantial methodological flaws. The outcome measures were very varied. No study reported harm from advocacy. Most reported benefits from referrals to advocacy workers. Despite weak evidence, referral to advocacy workers for survivors of domestic violence is not harmful and offers benefits.