The provision of emergency healthcare for women who experience intimate partner violence: part 1. An integrative review
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

The provision of emergency healthcare for women who experience intimate partner violence: part 1. An integrative review

Shannon Bakon Lecturer, nursing, University of the Sunshine Coast, Caboolture, Queensland, Australia
Annabel Taylor Professor, Central Queensland University, Queensland, Australia
Silke Meyer Associate professor, Monash University School of Science, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
Mark Scott Emergency medical consultant, Queensland Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

This integrative review is the first of a two-part series about intimate partner violence (IPV). Part 2 will explore strategies to address barriers to the care of women who experience IPV in the emergency department (ED). IPV has become a major concern globally and specifically in Australia. Healthcare professionals in the ED are often the first point of contact for women experiencing IPV and therefore the provision of a comprehensive healthcare response to these vulnerable patients remains a priority. The review evaluated healthcare professionals’ approaches to the care of women who present to the ED with injuries related to IPV.

A systematic search of studies was undertaken using four databases. After the selection process, a total of 24 articles was identified. Six themes emerged: IPV care protocols, physical care provision, psychosocial care provision, provision of safety, role of referrals and barriers to appropriate care provision. There is a lack of evidence supporting healthcare approaches in the ED to address IPV. ED healthcare professionals experience numerous barriers that hinder their ability to provide patient-centred care, which suggests that patients presenting with IPV-related concerns may not be receiving adequate or appropriate healthcare in ED settings.

Emergency Nurse. doi: 10.7748/en.2019.e1950

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and has been checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

sbakon@usc.edu.au

Conflict of interest

None declared

Bakon S, Taylor A, Meyer S et al (2019) The provision of emergency healthcare for women who experience intimate partner violence: part 1. An integrative review. Emergency Nurse. doi: 10.7748/en.2019.e1950

Published online: 24 September 2019

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