Forensic interventions carried out by nurses on older people in situations of violence: a comparative study

To investigate forensic interventions carried out by nurses with and without experience in caring for older people in situations of violence.

Cross-sectional, quantitative study with nurses working in five hospitals in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire, validated by ten experts and with good reliability, presenting a Cronbach's alpha coefficient greater than 0.70. Data were analyzed using simple and relative frequency, Bayesian test for proportions, Student's t test, multivariate analysis with multiple correspondence and cluster analysis models with Chi-Square metric with hierarchical clustering form and average linkage method.

A total of 270 nurses participated, of which 203 had no experience with older people in situations of violence. Within the groups, a significant difference was observed (P < 0.001), that is, the interventions of the group with experience are more consistent with ethical-legal aspects than those without experience.

Significant similarity was found between the two groups, in which experienced nurses carried out appropriate and relevant interventions, although the execution of actions to interrupt the cycle of violence presented weaknesses.