Validation of the French Women Abuse Screening Tool to routinely identify intimate partner violence.

Background: Health care professionals strongly underestimate the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), and a few of them think that they screen and refer victims appropriately for assistance. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally validate a French version of the Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST).

Methods: A multicenter case-control study was performed in the forensic medicine unit of the University Hospital and two offices of the women's rights association in France.