Nurse education and understanding related to domestic violence and abuse against women: An integrative review of the literature

Aim The aim of this study was to explore previous literature related to nurses understanding of Intimate partner violence ( IPV ) or domestic violence and abuse ( DVA ) against women and to identify the gaps in nursing education so as to use the findings as a baseline to inform potential intervention strategies, curriculum development and outline implications for future nursing practice. Design An Integrative review of literature. Methods Studies were extracted through a search of the electronic databases, such as Science direct, EBSCO host and PubMed, to identify relevant evidences published between January 2000–January 2017. “Joanna Briggs Institute ( JBI ) tool” was used to review primary research studies. Results Seventeen empirical studies were analysed. Findings supported four themes including: educational and training experiences, identification of IPV / DVA , curriculum and communication skills of nurses. Continued efforts are further needed to highlight and address IPV / DVA in nursing education and training, to scale up nursing understanding to respond and identify IPV / DVA appropriately in a clinical environment.