MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS READINESS TO PROVIDE SERVIECES FOR BATTERED WOMEN

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the response of the FERMC staff to domestic violence (DV) and an educational program on DV against women. An exploratory descriptive study with a two-group design was used. The sample consisted of 93 physicians and 93 nurses from four departments of FERMC. 100% of the FERMC staff had no previous training on DV against women. The instruments used included Importance of Training Topics for DV Questionnaire, Inventory of Believes about Wife Beating, and Self-Efficacy Scale for Battered Women-Professional Version. Topics on DV against women that the FERMC staff rated as important for training were awareness of the problem, referrals as intervention, references resources, and legal aspects of DV. The major conclusions of the study were following: 1) the staff had the positive response to training on DV against women; 2) the FERMC staff (both physicians and nurses) was similar in their beliefs that there was no justification for DV against women, that women did not gain from beating, and that help should be given to women who are abused; 3) medical professionals in both groups had a moderate and a high self-efficacy believe about battered women. The study underscored the need for continuing education for physicians and nurses on DV.