Domestic Violence Risk Prediction System (DMV)
A decision-support tool for healthcare professionals to screen patients and predict the risk that they have experienced violence, so they can be referred for protection and proactive care.
Translated from Thai · reviewed by the CF team
An invisible screening point
Data from the One Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) and the Ministry of Public Health between B.E. 2547–2565 show that as many as 8,847 Thai women per year receive treatment for violence at healthcare facilities. Girls aged 10–20 are the group most often subjected to sexual violence—and these figures include only cases that have been reported and recorded. Many other children and women experience violence but do not disclose it or seek help because of shame, fear, lack of awareness, or an inability to clearly tell their stories, especially when the person affected is a child. Healthcare facilities are therefore the point most accessible to the public, yet also the place where violence is most difficult to detect.
Screening during medical history-taking
This system is a decision-support tool for healthcare professionals. It screens patients while they are taking their medical history, then predicts how likely each patient is to have experienced violence. This helps ensure that cases at risk are referred immediately for protection, care and proactive rehabilitation, reducing the burden and costs that could otherwise grow over time.
Screening across 3 age groups
Screening and prediction are divided by age group: children (0–9 years), adolescents (10–17 years) and adults (18 years and over).
Risk-factor weighting model
The system processes information on the relationship with the suspect, the location of the incident, the first point of care (emergency room, One Stop Crisis Centre, inpatient/outpatient unit, antenatal/adolescent clinic), type of violence and family structure. For adults, it also includes information on occupation, employment and education.
3 levels of results
The system displays high, medium or low risk levels for healthcare professionals to use when deciding on referrals.
Past screening history
Healthcare facility staff who sign in can view the screening and prediction history of previous cases.
Lead partner
Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ)
Public health partners
Health Administration Division, Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health, and Pathum Thani Hospital (pilot site)
System development
ChangeFusion Institute
0 entries
Everything the field team has recorded, newest first
No updates for this project yet
How can we
help you?
Choose the question that fits your role. Answers are summarised from our own records of the work, and you can talk to the CF team from any card.
What change does this work create, and how do you know it is effective?
We developed a tool to help staff screen for and predict risk, so patients can be referred for protection and proactive care. However, there are no records of actual outcomes or of how effectiveness was assessed.
We designed the DMV system to help medical staff screen patients while taking their histories and predict risk, with the aim of referring at-risk cases for proactive protection, care and rehabilitation, as well as reducing the burden and costs that may increase later. This Project
The system divides screening into 3 age groups and displays high, medium or low risk levels to inform referral decisions. Staff who have signed in can also view previous screening records. This Project
We have not yet recorded usage results showing how much referrals or protection have increased, and there are no records of evaluation methods or lessons from what did not go as planned. We therefore cannot yet conclude how much actual impact the system has achieved.
How was this work carried out, and what lessons can be applied going forward?
We developed a screening tool for use during history-taking. It assesses risk factors and displays one of 3 levels, but no lessons from its use or resulting improvements have yet been documented.
We started with the problem that healthcare facilities are highly accessible to the public, but violence is difficult to detect there. We therefore developed the DMV system as a tool to help medical personnel screen patients while taking their histories and predict the likelihood that a patient is a victim of violence. This Project
The system divides screening into children aged 0-9 years, adolescents aged 10-17 years and adults aged 18 years and over. It then uses a model that weights factors such as the relationship with the suspect, the location of the incident, the first point of care, the type of violence and family structure. For adults, it also uses information about occupation, employment and education. The results are shown as high, medium or low to support decisions about referrals. Users who sign in can also view past screening records. This Project
We have not yet recorded lessons from implementing the system in practice, improvements made in response to its limitations, or approaches proven suitable for use in other contexts.
What types of areas is this approach suitable for, and what is needed to get started in our area?
This approach is designed for healthcare facilities, which are accessible to the public but where violence is difficult to detect. We have not yet documented the conditions or resources a locality needs to begin using it.
We designed the DMV for screening patients in healthcare facilities, because these are places that the public can access widely but where violence is difficult to detect. It is used during history-taking to assess risk and support referral decisions. This Project
The system divides assessment into 3 age groups and considers risk factors such as the relationship with the suspected perpetrator, the location of the incident, the first point of service, the type of violence, and family structure. For adults, the assessment also considers occupation, employment and education. The results are classified as high, medium or low risk. This Project
Pathum Thani Hospital is identified as a pilot site, and the project's public health partners and main partners are also listed. This Project However, we have not yet documented what staff, data systems, equipment or other conditions a locality needs to begin using it, nor is there guidance on how to determine whether this approach is suitable for locations outside healthcare facilities.
What methods or tools can we start using straight away?
The tool developed is DMV. It helps screen people while taking their medical history and classify their risk to inform referrals, but there is no record of whether it is immediately available for other areas to use or how they can begin using it.
The tool we developed is the DMV system. It helps medical personnel screen patients while taking their medical history and predict how likely they are to be victims of violence, to inform decisions about referring them for protection, care and proactive rehabilitation. This Project
The system divides patients into 3 age groups: children aged 0-9, adolescents aged 10-17 and adults aged 18 and over. It processes various factors, such as the relationship with the suspected perpetrator, the location of the incident, the first point of service, the type of violence and family structure. For adults, it also includes information about occupation, employment and education. The system then displays the risk level as high, medium or low. Personnel who sign in can view previous screening records. This Project
We have not recorded whether the system is open to other organisations to access or use immediately, and no steps for starting to use it in a new area have been recorded.
How does this work connect to systemic issues, and what kind of collaboration is needed?
This work addresses the need to detect violence in healthcare facilities earlier, and identifies key and public health partners. However, no further requests for collaboration or preferred forms of support have been recorded.
Domestic violence may be concealed, leaving survivors unable to access help. Healthcare facilities are places that many people can access, but violence can be difficult to detect there. This work therefore developed a proactive screening tool to help staff assess risk and refer people for protection. IssueJustice and Opportunity The DMV system is used during patient history-taking, displays 3 levels of risk and helps inform decisions about patient referrals. This Project
The key partner identified is the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ). The public health partners include the Health Administration Division, Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health, and Pathum Thani Hospital as the pilot site. ChangeFusion Institute developed the system. This Project
We have not yet recorded what further collaboration is needed, what the conditions for support would be, or what lessons have emerged from working together.