Nursing Role In Domestic Violence Essay

The Nurses Role in Screening, Addressing, and Preventing Domestic Violence Normally, when someone hears the term “domestic violence”, they envision a man abusing a woman. However, recently we have discovered that domestic violence covers a wide variety of abuse including: child abuse, elder abuse, same-sex partner abuse, and women harming men abuse (Blais & Hayes, 2016). It has become extremely important to the healthcare industry that nurses become educated in domestic violence. Nurses play an important role in screening for domestic violence, addressing the issue of domestic violence with the patient, and providing direct support to that patient. If nurses are not educated in domestic violence, it can be very hard to screen someone who is a victim. Recently, there has been a new nursing position that has developed to just treat people with domestic violence. This nursing role is very …show more content…
It can sometimes be difficult for a nurse to ask a patient about domestic violence because they are scared at what they might say (Allard 2013). Also, it is important for a nurse to have an idea about what types of questions to ask to a patient they believe is experiencing domestic violence. For example, “Do you feel safe in your current or previous relationships?” (Blais & Hayes, 2016, p. 444). Asking a patient a direct questions can make them feel more comfortable about speaking out about what they have been experiencing. Another important aspect of addressing the issue of domestic violence is that a nurse needs to be alone with the patient (Allard 2013). Allowing other members into the room with a patient while they are being screened for domestic violence can cause serious harm to them after they leave the facility. It can be difficult to address someone who has experienced domestic violence, but it is important for nurses to addresses these issues so we can provide support for that