Factors influencing nurses' responses to abused women - What they say theydo and why they say they do it

This article is based on the findings from a study in which nurses from two different countries and a variety of clinical settings explained their app roach to the nursing care of abused women and described their understanding of issues of abuse. These conclusions constitute one aspect of a larger st udy titled "Nurses' Social Construction of Self: Implications for Work With Abused Women" (Henderson, 1999). Following a description of the nurses' pr actice, the author discusses some of the important contextual factors that influence nurses' ability to act effectively in the care of abused women. A lthough the participants in this study were nurses, and therefore much of t he information presented derives from their accounts, many of the issues ra ised might equally have implications for other community practitioners or h ealthcare professionals encountering abused women in the course of their pr actice. These implications are discussed.