Introduction
As healthcare professionals, there is an ethical obligation to provide the best possible care to our patients. Abuse in healthcare is a frequent reality, whether it is elder, sexual, physical, child or substance abuse. In the case of any abuse, the nurse has a duty to protect the patient by “ensuring that abuse is prevented, or stopped and reported” (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2006, p. 9). In order to deliver superlative care to a patient, the College of Nurses of Ontario Standards of Care (2006) describes accountabilities for the nurse-patient relationship, including protecting the client from abuse. The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of abuse as it relates to professional caring and protecting the client. …show more content…
A reflection on the ethical and morally challenging issues surrounding the scenario and concept will conclude.
Patient Encounter
A few incidences of abuse in the health care setting have been personally witnessed, both nurse to patient abuse and patient to nurse abuse, but it feels as though the situation chosen to explore in depth struck me on a deeper level. The situation consisted of a more subtle form of abuse seen in healthcare often overlooked; the abuse observed by nurses in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. As the writer entered the maternity floor, it was an incredible shift from a miserable floor to an environment filled with joy and happiness. While orienting to the unit, the most adorable newborn babies were seen left, right and center, especially as the doors were opened to the NICU. Both areas of the NICU were offered to explore, and even interact with some of the babies. The writer saw some extremely critically ill newborns, and some newborns that just needed some love and attention in order to go home. What stood out the most was how tiny some of these newborns were – one was the size of the average hand palm,