The review shows that one-third to one-half of all women in the United States will be victims of IPV at least once in their lifetimes. Such victimization is significantly linked to poorer physical and mental health compared to women who have not experienced IPV. Women IPV victims are as likely as other women to seek health care and are overrepresented in some clinical populations. Without targeted screening for IPV, however, women victims are usually not identified by health care providers, even though female patients in general believe it is appropriate for health care providers to ask women patients about IPV. Most victims will answer truthfully if asked about IPV victimization. There are numerous validated screening tools for IPV, and virtually all health care professional organizations support screening for IPV in the clinical setting. System-based health care interventions for IPV have been successful in identifying victims and linking them to needed services. Still, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force does not currently recommend screening for IPV in the health care setting, citing a lack of randomized controlled studies regarding its effectiveness and heath outcomes. The conflict between the Task Force's recommendation against universal screening and virtually all other recommendations from professional association must be resolved. 25 references and 8 suggested readings