Nurse in the Process of Preventing Domestic Violence

Abstract

The problem of domestic violence occurs in all societies and cultures. For many years it’s been regarded as an important social issue especially in Western Europe. At that time, international organizations created plenty of documents advising the member States of the European Union, to take changes in law and practice in order to raise the effectiveness of combat with domestic violence and to provide victims of violence with assistance and effective interaction for domestic violence perpetrators. Up to this day in Poland, domestic violence was not seen as a purely pathological phenomenon. Initially, the problem was marginalized and silenced, because families with a domestic violence problem carefully hid these facts, especially in contact with health care system. Therefore, it was necessary to determine the role of nurses as people of first contact with the patient, which in the event of diagnosis of symptoms which indicate violence can take an appropriate diagnose and therapeutic measures which would lead to the prevention of domestic Violence. The main objective was to determine the level of knowledge of professionally active nurses and students of nursing connected with the problem of domestic Violence (279 active nurses and 281 students of nursing). The author used a questionnaire. Conclusion & Significance: both groups of respondents did not recognize the long-term effects of domestic Violence, they well recognize factors influencing the Violence development. Respondents experienced Violence in their families, and problem of Violence is often found in work of nurses and students’ private environment. Both groups rated their knowledge at the secondary level. Nurses and students perceive a nurse as a person who can prevent domestic violence and have their place in an interdisciplinary team.