Nurses' Experience of Encountering Women who have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence : A Qualitative Litterature Review

Title: Nurses’ Experience of Encountering Women who have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence - A Qualitative Literature Review. Background: Intimate partner violence could be presented in many ways. It often leads to serious consequences for women’s health such as PTSD, depression and chronic diseases. Nurses have an important role in encountering women who have experienced intimate partner violence and supplying them with empathy and support. Person-centered care, where the focus is on the patient’s needs and her story, creates a safe environment and makes it easier for women exposed to violence to seek help. Aim: The aim was to describe inpatient care nurses’ experiences of encountering women who has been subjected to intimate partner violence. Method: Qualitative literature review with an inductive approach. The search was conducted in CINAHL and MEDLINE and generated 12 articles. The material was analyzed using Evans' four-step synthesis method. Result: The results are presented based on two themes and four subthemes: (1) To experience insecurity with subthemes; Lack of knowledge and Lack of support from the organization. (2) To experience hidden barriers with subthemes; Emotional impact and Normative impact. Conclusion: Nurses experienced insecurity due to a lack of knowledge combined with a lack of support from the organization. They also experienced hidden barriers in terms of emotions and norms which affected the encounter with the women. As a result, nurses tended to avoid encounters with women who had been subjected to violence. More knowledge and support are needed for nurses to feel safe and secure in encounters with women who have been subjected to intimate partner violence.