Journal of Nursing & Care

Assessment of Nurses’ Preparedness and Identify Barriers to Care Women Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence in East Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia, 2014

Abstract

Haymanot Zeleke, Daniel Mengistu and Girma Alem

Introduction: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pattern of purposeful coercive behaviors that may include inflicted physical injury, psychological abuse, sexual assault, progressive social isolation. This violence can be considered a leading public health problem with serious health consequences for Women exposed to IPV. Due to, the nurse is often an early point of contact, no information of nurses’ preparedness regarding to IPV care in Ethiopia, high prevalence and impact on women health, these make it problematic. Method: descriptive correlational quantitative study design was conducted to assess nurses’ preparedness (knowledge, practice and attitude). Required sample size was 448 nurses. From 18 woreda, nine woreda were randomly selected through proportionate sampling method then the study sample was selected randomly. Odds ratio, 95% confidence intervals and 0.5% marginal error was used. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis was conducted. Result: Just over 94% of all respondents had not received any training. More than the halves of nurses were not knowledgeable. Around 60% of nurses had negative attitude to IPV cases. In addition, almost 60% of nurses were not skilful. There was a significant association between being male to care to Women exposed to IPV. Males were around 8 times more likely to give care to Women exposed to IPV. Nurses who had experience on the care of women exposed to IPV were more give care than who never had experience. Conclusion and recommendation: Many of nurses had no skill/experience to care women exposed to IPV and majority of nurses could not ask sign of women exposed to IPV like eating disorders, hypertension, headaches and irritable bowel syndrome. Majority of nurses were not knowledgeable and not skilful.