Nurses and Domestic Violence

[warmrain]

Hi,

I am a nursing student going through my second semester of school. For my theory class we are writing summary papers on nursing issues and are using nursing forums to gather more information. I have been lurking about this site for a week or so and I am hoping for some input from the nurses here.

I am wondering about any nurse's experiences with domestic violence victims and how they handled the situation. I read an article in a Nursing (2004) issue that gave information on what to do if domestic violence is suspected. They suggest doing a private interview with the patient, using open-ended questions, and reassuring them that what they tell you is confidential, that they are not alone and that help is available. They also advised to give the patient information regarding abuse and resources to go to for help. It then talks about doing follow up questions by phone, if abuse is denied, when you believe the abuser is not at home. Is what the article advises all that you can do as a nurse and is this advice helpful in a real life situation? Has anyone had any experience with victims of domestic violence and do you have any advice if this situation comes up?

I also read a brief article in The American Nurse (Jan/Feb 2003) about a tool to use in interviewing domestic violence victims. It is called the domestic violence survivor assessment (DVSA). The article details five stages women generally go through before they are free from domestic violence. The DVSA is then used to find where they are in their abusive relationship and help tailor interventions in a way that will be effective and lead to ending the cycle of abuse. Has anyone used the DVSA? Was it easy to use and was it a useful tool? Would you use it again? Are there any other tools that are helpful in working with victims of domestic violence?

Thanks for taking the time to read my inquiry and for any responses that you care to post!

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

You might want to post this in the Emergency specialty section of the forum too? ER nurses would come across domestic violence victims the most, I would think.

[warmrain]

Thanks for the suggestion! -- I have also posted this on the Emergency Nursing Forum.