IPV: A Qualitative Study

Since this study is a qualitative study, there is no hypothesis. The research question asked, “What in essence make up ENs experience of witnessing the suffering of survivors of IPV?” (Van Der Wath et al., 2013, p. 2243). The purpose was to explore and describe the experiences of emergency nurses’ when caring for patients who had survived domestic violence and intimate partner abuse. It is clearly stated, and it is feasible due to the fact that this type of study, a phenomenological study, involves interviewing participants who have had the lived experienced that is being studied, and interpreting their answers. The assumption is explicitly stated, and it is that being confronted with a patient suffering from domestic violence can get in the

It is imperative to be aware of the implications that come about from domestic violence, and as a nurse, be prepared to properly care for this population of patients. This is an extremely sensitive issue that must be addressed properly, and in doing so nurses can make it easier for the patient to open up about the situation. The patient will be able to provide valuable information that can help bring about an appropriate plan of care if they feel like the nurse is being “empathetic and non-judgmental” (Van Der Wath et al., 2013, p. 2244). Domestic violence not only affects the patient, but also the nurse caring for the patient. This can take an emotional toll on the nurse. In caring for a patient who is a victim of intimate partner abuse, the nurse is vulnerable to suffering from secondary traumatic stress, and therefore it is relevant and necessary to study the experiences lived by nurses’ who have cared for this population of patients. The study can give insight as to what exactly nurses experience, and how to improve the outcomes for both the patient and the

The researcher interviewed eleven nurses in regards to their experience in caring for patients who were victims of domestic violence. In order to obtain the most accurate results possible, the researchers had to bracket any previous knowledge on the phenomenon, and set aside any values or beliefs that may lead to bias and disrupt the study results. This is an appropriate approach due to the fact that this is a qualitative study, and in order to understand a lived experience the researchers must interview the participants and gain information from what the participants themselves lived. There are some threats to internal and external validity, mainly because purposive sampling was used to attain the eleven nurses that were interviewed. This is part of nonprobability sampling, in which there is no randomization and the sample is biased, which can restrict the generalizations. Since there was no randomization, the sample population is not representative of the entire population. When the findings cannot be generalized, it cannot be guaranteed that they can be useful outside of the study to other populations and settings, thereby threatening the external validity. The Rosenthal effect, in which the interviewer influences the respondent’s answers, can also lead to a threat to external