Treating a patient who is experiencing domestic abuse can be difficult waters to navigate for physicians. However, it is a common problem impacting one in four women and one in seven men, according to the CDC's numbers. 

Researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology and nonprofit Resolve Greater Rochester have put their heads together to develop a new app that helps assess a patient's physical and mental wellbeing. The program also works to support doctor’s as they give recommendations. The app, called RITa, is now being piloted at primary care practices in Rochester, New York. 

“Family care practitioners are often the first place victims of domestic violence turn for help," Allison O'Malley, CEO of Resolve, said in a statement. "Intimate-partner violence (IPV) is a complex issue with many negative health implications, and physicians need to know what to do when patients disclose abuse or when their symptoms raise concern.”

The program is administered on a primary care phyician’s tablet, although healthcare workers will also be taking the system out into the community, according to a statement. An avatar within the app, named RITa, asks users 30 validation questions about different aspects of their relationship and wellbeing. It is then able to give the doctor and patient recommendations and next steps. 

"RITa is the first application of a 'female' avatar to screen for IPV among victims,” Caroline Easton, professor in RIT's College of Health Sciences and Technology School of Behavioral Health Sciences, said in a statement. "RITa illustrates how we can combine advancements in science and technology with art and design to make a real impact in our community and provide safety for those at risk for serious harm or injury.”

Using mobile apps to screen for domestic abuse is an idea that has been around for a while, dating back to 2011 when a Floridian domestic violence shelter and treatment facility created its own tool, called R3 App. That app asked the users questions about their domestic situation and then referred them to services.

Researchers at the University of Virginia and Johns Hopkins University nursing schools have also grappled with using tech to identify domestic abuse victims. In 2012 the universities teamed up on a study to determine if surveys on a tablet are better ways to screen pregnant women for abuse over existing methods of a nurse verbally asking during a home visit.