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Domestic violence is a major public health issue that influences all aspects of affected women’s lives and has far reaching impacts across all levels of society (Fraser, 2003). The impact of domestic violence on women’s health is said to be devastating and is believed to result in poor general, reproductive and psychological health (Parker & Lee, 2002). There is also evidence that the negative impact on women’s health is long term and continues even after the violence has ended. Women who are subjected to domestic violence seek help from a wide range of professionals within health and social care sectors, and evidence suggests that their experiences tend to be negative. This study explored the health issues and healthcare encounters of women who lived with domestic violence. The purpose of the research was to seek information about the healthcare of women who are subjected to or who have been subjected to domestic violence perpetrated by intimate male partners, and to use this information to inform healthcare practitioners. A postmodern and feminist lens was applied to the study. The framework for the study was interpretive interactionism (Denzin, 2001). Data were generated from in-depth interviews undertaken with women who had lived with domestic violence and with nurses employed in Emergency Department and Community Health settings often accessed by women affected by domestic violence. Documents tracing central policy development in relation to health and human services’ responses to domestic violence were also examined. Narrative analytic techniques were employed to interpret the storied accounts told by women affected by violence and nurses. Findings from the study revealed much information about health and healthcare as it is experienced by women affected by domestic violence and by health professionals (in this case nurses) who care for them. Healthcare responses to women affected by domestic violence are currently enacted under policy that de-genders this for, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith Health, Full Text