On any given day it is possible that at least one in every three women seen by a medical professional has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Its an experience most people are afraid to discuss. In fact, 84% of women who disclosed that they had been raped never reported their rapes to the police.

PRR was asked by the Washington State Department of Health to develop materials that could be sent to every medical professional as a part of their license application process. To begin, PRR did an extensive national literature search to identify other materials used to address the issue with medical professionals. It was determined that two pieces would be useful, including a single two-sided insert and a small, three panel flyer. The call to action was simple. Ask your patient this simple question: "Has anyone hit you, or threatened you, or forced you to have sex?" and implement this acronym.

R = Routine screening
A = Ask direct questions
D = Document history & findings
A = Address safety
R = Refer & reassure

As materials were drafted, a review team recruited by the client ensured that messages and language were on target. The next phase of the program will be to assist the agency in creating a companion web site as a resource for the medical community.