Addressing domestic violence through maternal-child health home visiting: what we do and do not know

Domestic violence (DV) has been described as a public health epidemic. Health care providers of all disciplines encounter victims of DV in every practice setting. However, the vast majority of DV health care research has focused on care provided to victims in traditional acute care and clinic settings. Few investigators have conducted studies with community health nurses (CHNs) who visit DV victims in their homes. CHNs, providing preventive maternal-child health (MCH) care through home visits with families, have been described by some as key providers in DV prevention. However, there is a dearth of knowledge about the actual practice and related outcomes of these nurses when working with families experiencing DV. The purpose of this article is to provide a baseline view of the current state of knowledge on which nurses may begin building future research that leads to evidence-based practice. The article describes the potential role of home-visiting MCH nurses in DV prevention and intervention, provides a critical review of the existing research, identifies primary gaps in scientific knowledge, proposes future research priorities, and makes recommendations for practice.