" ...köra lite på intuition" - Sjuksköterskors attityder och kunskaper om intimt partnervåld - en empirisk studie.

Sammanfattning: Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects both men and women, in homo- as well as heterosexual relationships. The most recognized form of IPV is violence against women. The proposition "Kvinnofrid" was approved by the Swedish parliament in 1998 and proposed an extensive effort to increase knowledge and awareness of IPV among occupational groups, mainly in the health care system. These professionals are also often directly involved in the care of victims of IPV. The main purpose of this study was to investigate attitudes and level of knowledge among nurses about violence in an intimate relationship. Only 41 questionnaires was returned out of the 136 that were handed out. The results demonstrate that nurses do not have sufficient knowledge about neither the extent of IPV nor the harmful consequences of this type of violence. We conclude that education about IPV, as well as underlying causes of violence in the society, should be incorporated as an obligatory part of the nursing education program.