Nursing care management at a shelter-based clinic: an innovative model for care

(1) Describe the nurse care manager role at a shelter-based clinic for women and children who have experienced domestic violence (DV). (2) Develop an innovative model for nursing care management in this unique setting and discuss implications for its implementation in other shelter-based clinics. (3) Provide historical benchmarking data on the use of health-related community resources and common barriers to obtaining these services among women and children following a nurse care management intervention.

A clinic-based, nurse care management model was developed and implemented at a not-for-profit emergency residential shelter for women and children who have experienced DV. However, DV victims do not just appear in the community: nurse case managers encounter DV in every healthcare setting from hospitals to physician offices/clinics.

A shelter-based clinic is a safe, confidential, and easily accessible place for women and children victimized by DV to receive immediate care and ongoing assistance for health-related needs. The nurse care manager, who practices in this setting and utilizes motivational interviewing techniques, has a unique opportunity to empower and support women to make informed decisions regarding the health and well-being of themselves and their children.

Provision of nursing care management services in a shelter-based clinic is an innovative approach to improving outcomes and reducing the burden of suffering among women and children who leave abusive situations. The nurse care manager role and, specifically, the model of care described in this project, which includes motivational interviewing techniques, may be generalized to other shelter-type settings to promote sustained, healthy lifestyle practices for victims of DV. Benchmarks developed in this study serve as an initial approach to evaluating outcomes when applying this nursing care management model in practice. Future studies on the effectiveness of this approach among victims of DV are warranted.