While focused mainly on domestic assault, many of the items also include guidance on addressing child abuse and elder abuse. Two abstracts relate exclusively to peer violence, but are included because of their general relevance. National agencies and the Department of Health and Human Service recommend that hospital emergency rooms use protocols for identifying and treating violence victims, because the use of protocols, has been found to increase the rate of identification of battered women from 5.6 percent to 30 percent. The entry for each protocol includes an abstract, a summary chart that highlights categories of particular interest to practitioners, and contact information. A summary key chart, lists of additional resources and referrals, index, and 9 references