The incidence of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in Australia is rising. Women experiencing IPV seek assistance through Emergency Departments (ED). Women exhibit help-seeking behaviours to nurses who work in emergency over medical or allied health professionals. Nurses’ capacity to recognise the need to care for women experiencing IPV is essential. The aim of this study was to explore nurses’ capacity to care for women who have experienced IPV through outlining inhibiting factors that limit care and create a discourse that contributes to addressing these factors. Pre (n=10) and post (n=6) focus groups (FGs) were undertaken with nurses who work in ED. In between the FGs an intervention was applied to prompt change to caring practices. The discourse generated from the FGs was subjected to a Foucauldian discourse analysis from a poststructural feminist perspective. Participants’ capacity to care was found to be based on the values they formed on IPV, as shaped by their post-registration training. The formation of boundaries was fundamental in inhibiting the participants’ capacity to care. Challenging boundaries through educational inquiry into nursing values can be effective in shifting perspectives of IPV. The raising of awareness of IPV in our communities serves as a vital tool in eliciting cultural behaviour change within EDs and within nursing culture.

Hospitals are integral and vital entities of healthcare systems across the globe. Reduction of patient wait time is of utmost importance for the overall smooth functioning of any hospital. This paper discusses the analysis of the patient flow in the Out Patient Department (OPD) of a hospital. Data was collected with respect to patient arrival and service times in minutes. Input analyser was used to determine the distribution of the patient flow data collected at each section. A simulation model using Arena software was developed to study the patient flow in various sections of the OPD. The average waiting time and utilization of resources were determined for each sections. The results showed that there was a longer waiting time in billing section and Obstetrics and Gynaecology (OBG) section. Also there was high utilization of resources in these sections compared to the other sections of the OPD.

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