Holistic nursing is focused on providing care to individuals, families, and populations at risk with attention to health, environment, and cultural perspectives. While professional nurses provide care in virtually every healthcare setting and many community settings, they encounter the victims of domestic violence daily. Violence is recognized as a healthcare concern. In fact, hospitals approved by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Hospitals Organization (JCAHO) require every patient admitted be assessed for a history of domestic violence. Nurses are recognized as trustworthy, ethical professionals who establish rapport with people as they inquire about sensitive healthcare concerns. Because of this trust relationship, victims of domestic violence frequently disclose important information about both domestic violence and animal abuse, among other things, to nurses, and nurses must be prepared to respond based on up-to-date information about healthcare needs, safety and legal issues, and community resources.

Because professional nurses can become involved in the link between domestic violence and animal abuse during the assessment and intervention process, specific needs of the nursing profession in this area have been. These include:

• Information about the legal aspects of animal abuse;

• Availability of community resources for animals--who to call, costs, length of service, safety, care if injured, etc.;

• Development of screening methods and questions to determine pet cruelty; and

• Protocols to assure pets are considered during intervention