Experiences of doctors, nurses and midwives who work at the health care centers in the city center of Malatya, levels of attitude and behaviour related to violence directed at women

Violence directed at woman is a public health problem which is growing more and more in the world and in Turkey. This research is a cross-sectional work which was done with the aim of determining exposure of health staff working at the health care centres to the violence and information and attitudes of health staff towards the violence directed at the woman.Target population of the study: Doctors, nurses ,midwives working at the 28 health care centres in the centre of Malatya constitutes. 512 of the 541 people in the target population of the study participated in the research. In collecting data; introductory form, doctor, nurses and midwives depincting indications of violence directed at woman scale and containing the doctors, nurses and midwives attitude questions related to violence directed at woman were used.Average age of participants is 33,6+6. 81,8 % of participants is woman, 18,2 % is man. 51,1 % 0f women and 54,8% of man participated in the research were exposed to violence at least once during his/her life.It was found out that men were exposed to violence by their father more. (p<0,05) 58,7 % of the nurses , 53,1 % of the midwives, 49,5 % of doctors in the scope of the research were exposed to violence from patients, relatives of the patients and his/her own colleague at least once during his/her career. 77,1% of working person hadn?t taken education about violence directed at woman before graduation. After graduation it was determined that 31,6 % of the staff hadn?t taken the education about the violence directed at woman. 79,5 of midwives, 57,5 % of nurses, 69,9% of doctors had taken the education about violence directed at woman after graduation. 74,3% of doctors, 73,2 of nurses, 67,5 of midwives had faced with violence directed at woman or suspicion of violence. 81,8 % mentioned that they would inform the authorities. The total scale mark of the health staff?s scale related to describing the signs of violence directed at woman was found as 18,6+3,7. It is determined that the average attitude mark of the participants is 14,7+3,2.As a result: it was found out that, health staff is insufficient in describing the indications of violence directed at woman.Key Words: Violence, woman, attitude, nurse, midwife