Effect of an intimate partner violence educational program on the attitudes of nurses.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effect of an intimate partner violence (IPV) educational program on the attitudes of nurses toward victims.


METHODS
A quasi-experimental study utilizing a pretest and posttest.


METHODS
An urban health care system.


METHODS
Fifty-two inpatient nurses completed both the pretest and posttest.


METHODS
One-hour and 3-hour IPV educational programs.


METHODS
Change in attitude was determined by scores from the Public Health Nurses' Response to Women Who Are Abused (PHNR), a standardized questionnaire that measures nurses' reactions to an IPV scenario. Parallel forms, each with a different scenario, were administered before and 2 months after the 1-hour and 3-hour educational sessions. Scores were analyzed using a repeated measures analysis of variance followed by multiple comparisons with Bonferroni adjustments.


RESULTS
Nurses' PHNR scores increased significantly after attending the 1-hour session if they had previous IVP education and after the 3-hour session if they had no previous IVP education.


CONCLUSIONS
Educational offerings should be tailored for nurses. For nurses with previous IVP education, offer a 1-hour update. For nurses with no previous IVP education, provide a 3-hour educational session. Further study is needed to determine if change in nurses' attitudes translates into improved screening, identification, and intervention for IPV victims.
Schoening
Anne M
AM
Chreighton University School of Nursing, Omaha, NE 68178, USA. aschoening@creighton.edu
Greenwood
Jullie L
JL
McNichols
Jackie A
JA
Heermann
Judith A
JA
Agrawal
Sangeeta
S
D000328:Adult; D018585:Battered Women; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007318:Inservice Training; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D009773:Obstetric Nursing / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000451:nursing*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014505:Urban Population