Nursing and Domestic Violence

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how community nursing policies need to change the perception of domestic violence within the United States. The paper looks at two different groups that dealt with domestic violence - a domestic violence support group and a court mandated support group for perpetrators. The paper explains that nurses are in the unique position to be at the forefront in a solution to this problem. Many times, the first person to see a patient within a hospital atmosphere is the nurse and the nurse should be trained to spot potential problems and symptoms of abuse and there should be adequate avenues that should be available to them in order to report suspected abuse. The paper also shows that the primary potential obstacle is the public perception of how domestic violence is seen and that nurses can be very beneficial by bringing the problem to the attention of the community and helping with the interactions between the victims who are their patients and the community and police programs.

From the Paper:

"Within the community and hospital setting, a nurse is more likely to see physical and sexual abuse cases (Butler, 2005, p. 54). This means that many times nurses learn to notice the subtle clues that the patient is not willing to admit to, especially when the abuser accompanies the patient. Often, nurses are the primary caregiver to these patients because the doctors are focused on injuries and are often do not spend as much time with the patients. This makes the nurse a key instrument in the domestic abuse situation (Butler, 2005). The nurse often can tell something is not quite right and should be encouraged to convey any concerns that they may have. Nurses should also be on the lookout for more emotional abuse, which can be more difficult to spot. If someone is abusing a person in anyway including verbal or emotional abuse while in the care of the nurse, it should not be let go, the victim should be given adequate care including psychologists and social workers to help in the situation."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Butler, M. (2005). Domestic Violence: A Nursing Imperative. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 13 (1), 54-69.
• CDC. (2007). Intimate Partner Violence against Women in the United States. Retrieved May 28, 2007, From Center for Disease Control Web Site: Http://Www.Cdc.Gov/Ncipc/Pub-Res/Ipv_Cost/01_Executive.Htm
• Community Costs of Domestic Violence. (2006, February 1). Retrieved May 28, 2007, From Stop Violence against Women Web Site: Http://Www.Stopvaw.Org/Community_Costs_Of_Domestic_Violence.Html
• Cook, P. W. (1997). Abused Men: The Hidden Side Of Domestic Violence. American Journal of Medicine, 42, 27.
• Dixon, C. G., & Peterman, L. M. (2003). Domestic Violence between Same-Sex Partners: Implications for Counselling. Journal of Counselling and Development, 81, 40.

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