Thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Nursing at Massey University. Available for loan from the Albany Campus library.

This thesis describes nurses' responses to women presenting to emergency departments and general practices with injuries suggestive of partner abuse. A qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews was used to gather data from 6 participants. Grounded theory guided the analysis of data, revealing that nurses did not identify or respond effectively to battered women. A metaphor 'The Looking Glass' is used to describe the differing perspectives taken when nurses encounter battered women. These perspectives comprise three themes: not seeing; seeing but not seeing; and seeing but acting ineffectively. The needs of nurses to respond effectively are outlined in a further theme: seeing for effective action. The author concludes that improving the effectiveness of nurses in order to meet the needs of battered women is essential in reducing not only the personal costs to the women themselves, but in reducing the health care costs. Implications and recommendations for education, practice, and further research are made.--AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT

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