Nurses' understanding of domestic violence

Domestic violence is considered to be an important health care issue world wide. In order to provide appropriate support and treatment to women who have been abused, it is essential that nurses understand and recognise domestic violence. This study aimed to explore nurses' understanding of domestic violence issues utilising a grounded theory approach. A total of 41 emergency nurses was interviewed in selected Australian and Japanese emergency departments. Analysis of data identified six groups of nurse perceivers of domestic violence: nave perceivers, inexperienced perceivers, compassionate perceivers, proactive perceivers, acting perceivers and reluctant perceivers. Findings indicate that the provision of ongoing education and instigation of policy and protocol enable nurses to respond in a structured manner when they encounter women who have been abused. As a result, nurses can contribute to the amelioration of violence in society and enhance the wellbeing of these women.