Barriers to the mandatory reporting of domestic violence encountered by nursing professionals.
BACKGROUND
Domestic violence is a nationwide public health issue. It affects people from all walks of life and every age group. Domestic violence is on the rise in Hillsborough County, Florida, up by 2.5% from 2004 to 2005. The Governor's Domestic Violence Task Force suggests that domestic violence is seriously underreported. Nursing assessments routinely require screening for domestic violence, placing nurses in a unique position to screen and report because they are often the first contacts of victims. The purpose of this study was to discover barriers nurses face in relation to mandatory reporting of domestic violence.


METHODS
This nonexperimental study comprised a quantitative survey sent to 1,000 nurses in Hillsborough County, Florida, chosen at random from a database available to the public.


RESULTS
Sixteen variables were provided for participants to select in identifying barriers that prevented them from reporting domestic violence. Forty-nine nurses (27%) responded that they suspected but did not report domestic violence, citing "not enough evidence" as the most frequent barrier selected (32.1%).


CONCLUSIONS
Nurses who have personally experienced domestic violence are more likely to report. Reporting laws are intended as guidelines for nurses. An effort should be made to have universal definitions and terms across the United States.
Smith
Jackie S
JS
Department of Trauma Surgery, Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, FL, USA. jssmith@tgh.org
Rainey
Susan L
SL
Smith
Kirk R
KR
Alamares
Chona
C
Grogg
Denise
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003219:Confidentiality; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019221:Mandatory Reporting; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors