New Zealand emergency nurses knowledge about forensic science and its application to practice

Area of Science:

• Forensic Nursing
• Emergency Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Violence presents a significant global public health challenge.
• Emergency nurses in New Zealand lack adequate forensic knowledge and skills for patient care.
• There is a need to enhance the confidence and competence of nurses working with forensic patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the current level of forensic knowledge and skills among emergency nurses in New Zealand District Health Boards (DHBs).
• To identify specific educational needs for improving medicolegal care in emergency departments.
• To inform the development of a tertiary education course for forensic nursing.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study utilizing online questionnaires with quantitative and qualitative components.
• Data collected from emergency departments across New Zealand DHBs and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) emergency nurses' section.
• Thematic analysis for open-ended questions and SPSS for closed questions.

Main Results:

• Nurses demonstrated limited ability to identify forensic patients and insufficient knowledge of evidence preservation and legal processes.
• A significant majority (84%) recognized the importance of forensic knowledge in their practice.
• Results underscore a clear demand for enhanced forensic education among emergency nurses.

Conclusions:

• Emergency nurses require improved forensic knowledge for effective evidence preservation and collection.
• There is a pressing need and strong desire for forensic education among emergency department nurses in New Zealand.
• The findings support the establishment of postgraduate forensic science nursing programs in New Zealand.