[The reality behind the bruises--clinical picture and documentation in abuse of women]. / Verkligheten bakom blåmärkena--skadebild och dokumentation vid kvinnomisshandel.

Most battered women consult for their injuries at the community health centre or the emergency room--often without disclosing the fact that they are the victims of battery. Beyond venturing to inquire, lending a sympathetic ear and being supportive, with a view to any future criminal proceedings it is particularly important that the attending physician meticulously documents all injuries manifested by a battered woman--even if at that juncture she does not intend to bring charges. If necessary the forensic pathologist can assist the clinician in drawing up a report of the injuries and in assessing their origin.

Feminist theory and nursing: an empowerment model for research.

This article describes the use of the feminist process to empower nurses in conducting research. The criteria for feminist research, defined by Duffy, are applied to a research study that identifies the effects of physical abuse during pregnancy on maternal-infant outcomes. The authors describe the process of empowerment of the investigators through the use of a consortium model of research, the staff nurses who are conducting the interviews, and the research participants (pregnant women). The integration of feminist principles and nursing research is a process that merges similar beliefs and ideologies.