Emergency Nursing NUR320 - Assignment 3 Free Essay Example, 2250 words

There are some social, political, and legal context in Australia that should be considered here. In the last decade of conservative Federal government in Australia, there has been an erosion of services to women living with domestic violence. There has been a concerted move toward the consolidation of family which may force a situation in which the perpetrator is in the victims life longer. This has also caused the dismantling of policies and services that are available, including such things as child care subsidies, youth training schemes, youth allowances, legal aid, supported accommodation schemes, and movement to negotiated settlements. All of this affects programs that support women and children in trouble (Wright & Waugh, 2007). This makes it more difficult to get these women and children to safety and keep them there. When violence occurs the victims often come to the emergency room and many of them have never seen a primary physician so the violent episode may just be the tip of what is wrong with them. There is a often a revolving door situation in which the same victims come back with injuries on a regular basis. We will write a custom essay sample on Emergency Nursing NUR320 - Assignment 3 or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now They may also keep coming back with complaints of things like headaches and stomach pain in an attempt at safety. Studies show that this may be the only safe place in which these victims can disclose or plan for escape. These same studies show that a woman's decision to expose abuse can depend on the attitude of the clinician that is caring for her as a victim (Janssen & Holt, 2002) and that nurses attitude may be the victims only hope for escape. It should be noted, however, that one in four women in Australia are abused either by their present partner or have been by a previous partner. That tells us that some emergency department nurses have been abused and some male emergency department nurses are abusers (McClennan, Worster, & Macmillan, 2008). This may be difficult in a situation where women say that the attitude of those that ask often determines whether they will disclose. Nurses in an emergency room atmosphere may have difficulty responding in a caring manner if it requires confronting their own problems with abuse (Laing, 2000). Many of the women in these studies noted that they are often treated negatively and the nurses believe their flimsy stories when they should just ask a few more questions. Women who are ask about violence are twice as likely to disclose but they want to be ask by someone who is listening, supportive, and non-judgmental and that has a good knowledge of community based support services (Davis, 2007).