Domestic Violence: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Nursing Interventions
Jason Holt, RN
Grand Canyon University
NRS429V
Diana Anderson, RN, MSNEd, CMSRN
August 27, 2010
Domestic Violence: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Nursing Interventions Approximately 2 million American women are assaulted each year at the hands of their intimate partner and an estimated 1,200 are murdered as a result of intimate partner abuse (Black, M.C, Breiding, M.J. 2008). ”Of females killed with a firearm, almost two-thirds were killed by their intimate partners. The number of females shot and killed by their husband or intimate partner was more than three times higher than the total number murdered by male strangers using all weapons combined in single victim/single offender incidents in 2002” (Campbell, J. et al. 2003). Physical violence against woman is prevalent in all strata of society, affecting all socio-economic, racial, ethnic and religious groups (Black, M.C, Breiding, M.J. 2008). ”Domestic violence could be reduced by as much as 75% if identification and intervention were offered routinely in medical settings” (McFarlane, 1998). The American Nurses Association (ANA) encourages nurses to be educated in the skills necessary to implement primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions to combat domestic violence and its’ sequelae on individuals and society (NYSNA, 2005). The role of the nursing professional is to apply the fundamental nursing principle of health promotion towards prevention and mitigation of the adverse effects on health associated with the widespread and culturally entrenched problem of domestic violence.
Nursing Interventions All areas of nursing practice have the potential for exposure to the domestic violence continuum. Nurses are often in a front line position to detect domestic violence, and can be a catalyst of positive change for women in abusive situations.
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