Nurse in the Process of Preventing Domestic Violence

The problem of domestic violence occurs in all societies and cultures. For many years it’s been regarded as an important socialissue especially in Western Europe. At that time, international organizations created plenty of documents advising the memberStates of the European Union, to take changes in law and practice in order to raise the effectiveness of combat with domesticviolence and to provide victims of violence with assistance and effective interaction for domestic violence perpetrators. Up tothis day in Poland, domestic violence was not seen as a purely pathological phenomenon. Initially, the problem was marginalizedand silenced, because families with a domestic violence problem carefully hid these facts, especially in contact with health caresystem. Therefore, it was necessary to determine the role of nurses as people of first contact with the patient, which in the eventof diagnosis of symptoms which indicate violence can take an appropriate diagnose and therapeutic measures which would leadto the prevention of domestic Violence.The main objective was to determine the level of knowledge of professionally active nurses and students of nursing connected withthe problem of domestic Violence (279 active nurses and 281 students of nursing). The author used a questionnaire. Conclusion& Significance: both groups of respondents did not recognize the long-term effects of domestic Violence, they well recognizefactors influencing the Violence development. Respondents experienced Violence in their families, and problem of Violence isoften found in work of nurses and students’ private environment. Both groups rated their knowledge at the secondary level. Nursesand students perceive a nurse as a person who can prevent domestic violence and have their place in an interdisciplinary team.