| Domestic violence is a societal phenomenon most recently invoking heightened awareness. The effective assessment for domestic violence by registered nurses seems to be in question. Coupled by the inhibiting factors of patient nondisclosure and lack of education and comfort with the assessment by healthcare professionals, demands for recognition of domestic violence as a critical societal issue lose credibility. The need for this study derived from professional conversations suggesting that registered nurses were not assessing their patients for domestic violence in a rural community. This research sought to understand what registered nurses in the rural community perceived as barriers to assessment for domestic violence. Using a phenomenological approach, qualitative focus group discussions helped determine assessment barriers. A diversity of lived experiences and shared perceptions revealed a variety of contributing factors as barriers to assessment for domestic violence. Most prominent of these factors were lack of formal education and training in domestic violence assessment, lack of comfort with performing the assessment, and the inability to isolate the patient for privacy when asking critical questions about their patient's personal safety. Nursing leadership and nurse educators may benefit from understanding the significance of providing education for domestic violence assessment. The influence of resultant findings comes in the form of increased assessments of patients, increased comfort levels with performing the assessment, and possible learned strategies for ensuring privacy when performing the assessment. |
