Attached
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health and social problem.
Although women survivors o f IPV visit hospitals, their health problems associated
with IPV often go unnoticed. Nurses are in a key position to identify and help
women address their health concerns. Inadequacy o f educational preparation o f Sri
Lankan nurses to play the above role was highlighted in a previous study. This
paper is based on a preliminary study to further describe current training of nurses
in caring for women experiencing IPV. Nursing curricula from 24 institutions: 17
government Schools o f Nursing (SON), the Post-Basic College o f Nursing (PBCN)
and 06 state universities, were reviewed using a pre-tested data collection form. A
senior teacher was identified from each institution as a contact person to obtain
information and clarifications. Completed forms (24) were received by mail.
Content analysis o f data was carried out. None o f the curricula at Diploma and
Post-Basic Diploma/Certificate level included contents related to IPV. However, out
o f 17 SON, nine reported to have conducted 2-12 hour sessions related to IPV by
inviting guest speakers. Similarly, three o f the PBCN courses have addressed the
topic by inviting guest speakers. Two o f the six universities reported having 2-8
hours of IPV- related content delivered through lecture, group discussions and visits
to service centers for women survivors. Except one university none others have
formally assessed students on the topic. All contact persons identified the
importance o f IPV content in nursing curricula. The barriers reported were a lack o f
curricular time and content, nursing teachers who are competent on IPV, attitudinal
problems o f teachers, low payment for visiting teachers, lack o f continuing
education opportunities for nurses. Legal aspects, communication and basic
counseling skills were identified as essential curricular contents. Interactive sessions
were the preferred teaching method. The findings were consistent with several
studies from other countries. The current IPV training o f Sri Lankan nurses is
inadequate. This study highlights the importance o f incorporating IPV content in
nursing curricula and training of teachers to improve care for women survivors o f
IPV
