The level of recognition of signs of violence against women among nurses and midwives working in a public hospital

The study was conducted in a descriptive and comparative type to determine the level of recognition of signs of violence against women among nurses and midwives. The study was conducted at Balıkesir Atatürk City Hospital between 15.01.2023-31.08.2023. The research sample consisted of 399 nurses and midwives who agreed to participate in the study and met the inclusion criteria through non-probabilistic sampling method at Balıkesir Atatürk City Hospital. Research data were collected using a "Demographic Information Form" and the " Scale of Concerning Nurses and Midwives' Recognition of Violence against Women - 'NMRVAWS'". Statistical evaluation of the data included the use of Student's t-test, ANOVA (with Bonferroni post hoc test), chi-square test, correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis. According to the given data, the average score on the "Scale of Concerning Nurses and Midwives' Recognition of Violence against Women (NMRVAWS)" was 20.70±6.53 for nurses and 14.90±3.17 for midwives. Based on these findings, nurses are moderately knowledgeable about recognizing signs of violence against women, whereas midwives are determined to have insufficient knowledge. In our study, it was found that midwives aged between 22-35 years, with 6-10 years of work experience, and working in intensive care units, as well as nurses with postgraduate degrees and 6-10 years of work experience similar to midwives, had significantly higher total scale scores concerning nurses and midwives' recognition of violence against women compared to other participants (p<0.05). It is recommended to raise awareness by organizing in-service training programs for nurses and midwives to recognize the risk factors and symptoms of violence against women. Keywords: Midwives, nurses, violence against women.