An exploration of the perceptions of emergency department nursing staff towards the role of a domestic abuse nurse specialist: a qualitative study

There is a clear body of evidence which indicates that a substantial number of people who have experienced domestic violence and abuse attend the emergency department (ED). However, many individuals do not receive effective identification or support. The present study sought to explore the perceptio...

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Main Authors: McGarry, Julie, Nairn, Stuart
Format: Article
Published: Elsevier 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33214/
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author McGarry, Julie
Nairn, Stuart
author_facet McGarry, Julie
Nairn, Stuart
author_sort McGarry, Julie
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description There is a clear body of evidence which indicates that a substantial number of people who have experienced domestic violence and abuse attend the emergency department (ED). However, many individuals do not receive effective identification or support. The present study sought to explore the perceptions of ED staff about the perceived value and utilisation of a new domestic abuse nurse specialist role that has been created in one ED in the UK. A qualitative design was used and involved sixteen in-depth interviews with a range of practitioners. The findings highlight that staff highly valued the role of the nurse specialist as one which offered support both professionally and personally. However, the study has also drawn attention to the conundrum that surrounds identification and management of abuse and of enquiry more generally. The ED is ideally suited to identify at risk individuals but is not institutionally organised in a way that prioritises the social concerns of their patients and this nursing role is one way that this issue can be addressed. In light of recent UK and global policy directives further research is needed to explore the development and implementation of identification, management and support in the future.
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spelling nottingham-332142020-05-04T17:03:24Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33214/ An exploration of the perceptions of emergency department nursing staff towards the role of a domestic abuse nurse specialist: a qualitative study McGarry, Julie Nairn, Stuart There is a clear body of evidence which indicates that a substantial number of people who have experienced domestic violence and abuse attend the emergency department (ED). However, many individuals do not receive effective identification or support. The present study sought to explore the perceptions of ED staff about the perceived value and utilisation of a new domestic abuse nurse specialist role that has been created in one ED in the UK. A qualitative design was used and involved sixteen in-depth interviews with a range of practitioners. The findings highlight that staff highly valued the role of the nurse specialist as one which offered support both professionally and personally. However, the study has also drawn attention to the conundrum that surrounds identification and management of abuse and of enquiry more generally. The ED is ideally suited to identify at risk individuals but is not institutionally organised in a way that prioritises the social concerns of their patients and this nursing role is one way that this issue can be addressed. In light of recent UK and global policy directives further research is needed to explore the development and implementation of identification, management and support in the future. Elsevier 2015-04-01 Article PeerReviewed McGarry, Julie and Nairn, Stuart (2015) An exploration of the perceptions of emergency department nursing staff towards the role of a domestic abuse nurse specialist: a qualitative study. International Emergency Nursing, 23 (2). pp. 65-70. ISSN 1878-013X Emergency department; Domestic violence and abuse; Nurse specialist role; Qualitative research http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ienj.2014.06.003 doi:10.1016/j.ienj.2014.06.003 doi:10.1016/j.ienj.2014.06.003
spellingShingle Emergency department; Domestic violence and abuse; Nurse specialist role; Qualitative research
McGarry, Julie
Nairn, Stuart
An exploration of the perceptions of emergency department nursing staff towards the role of a domestic abuse nurse specialist: a qualitative study
title An exploration of the perceptions of emergency department nursing staff towards the role of a domestic abuse nurse specialist: a qualitative study
title_full An exploration of the perceptions of emergency department nursing staff towards the role of a domestic abuse nurse specialist: a qualitative study
title_fullStr An exploration of the perceptions of emergency department nursing staff towards the role of a domestic abuse nurse specialist: a qualitative study
title_full_unstemmed An exploration of the perceptions of emergency department nursing staff towards the role of a domestic abuse nurse specialist: a qualitative study
title_short An exploration of the perceptions of emergency department nursing staff towards the role of a domestic abuse nurse specialist: a qualitative study
title_sort exploration of the perceptions of emergency department nursing staff towards the role of a domestic abuse nurse specialist: a qualitative study
topic Emergency department; Domestic violence and abuse; Nurse specialist role; Qualitative research
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33214/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33214/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33214/