State of Iowa v. Trent D. Smith

I respectfully dissent. I agree with the court of appeals that the district court properly allowed the emergency room physician and nurse to testify regarding the victim’s identification of Smith, her ex-boyfriend and the father of her child, as her attacker. That information was elicited pursuant to the hospital’s screening protocol to protect patients traumatized by suspected domestic abuse. As the medical community and many other courts have long recognized, identifying the abuser is a key component in treating the patient’s mental and physical injuries and ensuring the patient’s safety.…