title: Nurses' roles in screening for intimate partner violence: a phenomenological study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe Jordanian nurses' roles and practices in screening for intimate partner violence.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Intimate partner violence is a recognized global health problem with a prevalence of 37% for the Eastern Mediterranean region. Jordanian nurses screening for intimate partner violence is as low as 10.8%. Nurses have encountered institutional and personal barriers hindering their screening practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive phenomenological design was used for this study. A purposive sample of 12 male and female Jordanian nurses working at a university hospital in Jordan participated. Participants were interviewed in 2014 using a semi-structured, face-to-face interview. Steps of Colaizzi's phenomenological method were used to analyse the qualitative data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four themes were derived from the data: (1) screening practices and roles for suspected IPV cases, (2) advantages for screening and disadvantages for not screening for intimate partner violence, (3) factors hindering screening practice and (4) feelings towards screening and not screening for intimate partner violence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increasing Jordanian nurses' awareness of the need for intimate partner violence screening in this sample was needed. Professional education and training may facilitate the adoption of intimate partner violence screening practices. A key barrier to intimate partner violence screening is Jordanian nurses' personal beliefs. Overcoming these personal beliefs will necessitate a multi-faceted approach starting with schools of nursing and bridging into healthcare settings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Healthcare professionals including nursing and policy makers at health institutions should enforce screening policies and protocols for all receipt of care at first contact. In addition, an emphasis on modelling culturally congruent approaches to develop the trusting nurse-patient relationships and process for screening patients for intimate partner violence.
authors.affiliation: JUST/Community and Mental Health Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Natour
authors.affiliation: JUST/Community and Mental Health Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Qandil
authors.affiliation: University of Cincinnati College of Nursing, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: G L
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0231-1123
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Gillespie
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000066511:Intimate Partner Violence; D007597:Jordan; D008297:Male; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: Intimate Partner Violence; Jordan; Nurses roles; Phenomenology; Practices; Screening; Violence