Identification and management of incidents of sexual violence by nurses

Abstract

ntroduction: Sexual violence comprises a crucial public health issue inducing multiple consequences to survivors. Recently, its handling seems to be increasingly introduced to the global health agenda, mainly regarding protocols’ development and reinforcement of health care workers’ response. For decades, many countries have aimed at nursing specialization for the management of these cases, considering sexual violence as a phenomenon which requires dedicated care, careful manipulations and cross-disciplinary approach. Aim: The survey aims to assess if nurses in Greece have been introduced to the necessary knowledge and have developed skills for managing efficiently cases of sexual violence. Following this, the assignment attempts to analyze to what extend does the need of nursing specialization regarding sexual violence exists. Material and Methods: A synchronic study was conducted in January 2022 with a convenience sample of 109 nurses regardless of workplace. Data was collected by posting a questionnaire online through social media. Responses were coded and data were analyzed using the statistical program IMB SPSS-25. Results: According to the survey’s findings, 79.7% of the sample hasn’t had any experience with sexual violence cases. Among those who suspected that the patient may had confronted sexual violence, only 53.2% have tried to investigate the case further. 85.4% of the nurses indicate that they are not aware of any related protocol and 73.4% haven’t received pertinent education. The findings also confirm that though biases against sexual violence survivors do exist, these are not dominant. Lastly, 90.8% of participants consider sexual violence as an important issue of public health and express the need for further education. Nurses who received relevant training were more likely to have managed a sexual violence incident (p<0.001), to be younger (p=0.008), and nurses who were aware of the existence of relevant protocols on sexual violence were more likely to report having been in contact with a sexual violence incident (p=0.006). Conclusion: In Greece, a deficient involvement of nurses regarding sexual violence is observed. This fact seems to constitute a reasonable consequence of fragmentary knowledge resources together with the lack of an integrated intervention planning. These gaps which hinder the identification and the efficient management of these cases compose significant facts that necessitate a contemporary framework of nursing specialization.