Hiding in Plain Sight

Abstract

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.

A scoping review of the healthcare provided by nurses to people experiencing domestic violence in primary health care settings

“…A recent discourse analysis of two ( n = 10/ n = 6) focus groups with emergency department nurses reported variation in nurses’ self-perception of their capacity to provide healthcare to people experiencing DFV (Venkataraman et al., 2021). These study findings suggest that preparing the nursing workforce to provide effective assessment and intervention is fundamental to improving access to care for people experiencing DFV (( Venkataraman et al., 2021 )).…”

Qualitative study of the perspectives of women with lived experience of domestic and family violence on accessing healthcare

“…The Australian evidence base about domestic and family violence and nursing includes studies on the screening of people experiencing domestic and family violence (Withiel et al, 2020), the capacity of emergency nurses to screen and respond (Boursnell & Prosser, 2010; Venkataraman et al, 2021), and the perceived knowledge of nurses (Creedy et al, 2021) and student nurses (Beccaria et al, 2013; Doran & Hutchinson, 2017). Current knowledge tends to focus on emergency care settings, rather than nurses' contribution to caring for people experiencing domestic and family violence in primary healthcare (Aljomaie et al, 2022).…”