Nurses? Understanding of Domestic Violence Issues: Six Categories of Perceivers and Their Practice

Australian and Japanese emergency nurses? understanding of domestic violence issues, in relation to their every day nursing practice is explored. A Grounded Theory approach was used in this study, for analysing the data. The study is significant, given the lack of Japanese studies which specifically focus on nurses? perceptions of domestic violence issues. Based on interviews conducted in 2003, nurses were categorized into six groups of perceivers of domestic violence: na¿ve perceivers, inexperienced perceivers, compassionate perceivers, proactive perceivers, acting perceivers, and reluctant perceivers. The nature and characteristics of each perceiver are discussed. Findings indicate that the provision of ongoing education and the instigation of policy and protocol enable nurses to respond in a structured manner when they encounter women who have been abused. As a result, nurses can contribute to the amelioration of violence in society and enhance the wellbeing of these women.