TY - JOUR PY - 2022// TI - Preparedness of Australian and British nurses and midwives about domestic violence and abuse JO - International nursing review A1 - Ali, Parveen A1 - Ayyaz, Rida A1 - McGarry, Julie A1 - Younas, Ahtisham A1 - Watson, Roger A1 - East, Leah SP - ePub EP - ePub VL - ePub IS - ePub N2 - BACKGROUND: Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) is a major health problem that affects individuals across the world. Nurses, midwives and healthcare providers need to be confident and competent in identifying and responding to DVA. AIMS: To measure current levels of knowledge, opinions and preparedness towards DVA and how it is managed by registered nurses and midwives residing in Australia and the UK.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used. Data were collected using the Physician Readiness to Manage Intimate Partner Violence Survey (PREMIS) measuring the perceived preparation and knowledge, actual knowledge, opinions and practice issues. Australian data were collected in 2018 and UK data were collected in 2017-2018. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data and differences in knowledge and attitudes of British and Australian nurses.

FINDINGS: Nurses and midwives (n = 368; 130 from Australia; 238 from the UK) responded to the survey. Minimal previous DVA training was reported by the participants. Participants had minimal knowledge about DVA, though had a positive attitude towards engaging with women experiencing DVA.

DISCUSSION: Most participants felt unprepared to ask relevant questions about DVA and had inadequate knowledge about available resources. Australian participants scored better than British participants; however, the mean difference in all aspects remained statistically insignificant.

CONCLUSION: Australian and British nurses and midwives have a positive attitude towards women experiencing DVA; however, the knowledge and skills to support women experiencing DVA are limited. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY: Nursing institutions should develop strategic policies regarding mandatory preparation and training of nurses for domestic violence assessment and management.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0020-8132 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/inr.12814 ID - ref1 ER -