Qualitative findings from an Australian study of inter-partner violence content within undergraduate health curriculum.

UNLABELLED

Health care professionals are frequently one of the first points of contact in episodes of intimate partner violence (IPV). This paper presents qualitative data from a larger research project on IPV-related content in undergraduate curriculum for Australian health care professionals. IPV is a serious public health issue with findings from this paper supporting the proposition that key health care workers such as nurses, midwives and paramedics are ill prepared to respond to the challenges it poses.

OBJECTIVE

This study sought to better understand the barriers and facilitators to the inclusion of IPV-related content into undergraduate curricula for nurses, midwives and paramedics.

DESIGN

A multiple-phase, mixed method case study design was the overarching research framework.

SETTING

This is the first national study on the topic in Australia.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS

Guided conversations with 18 academics teaching into undergraduate nursing, midwifery and paramedicine courses across Australia.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

There is a paucity of IPV-related content, with curriculum crowding being a major barrier to its inclusion. Additionally, the qualitative data suggests that IPV is not accepted by academics as being central to the role of a health care professional generally, and nursing more specifically. When contrasted to the emergent needs of those who experience IPV the findings from this study suggest that greater priority should be placed on increasing IPV-related content and academic's capability to teach that content.