The nurse´s experience of suspecting child abuse

Abstract

Thousands of children are abused each year in Sweden. Those children may be harmed physically or psychologically, and it often leads to psychic and emotional damage. This provides consequences both for the individual and for the society. Under Swedish law, the nurse is obligated to report suspected child abuse. Despite this, research shows that only fifty percent of the actual child abuse is reported by the health care staff. The aim of this study has been to investigate the nurses' experience of suspected child abuse. It was carried out as a literature study where ten articles were reviewed. The result shows that by observing the child and parents the nurse can discover some signs and abnormal behavior in the child, parents or both. Those can point in a direction that leads to suspicion of child abuse. Nurses with long professional experience were the ones who were safest in their assessment. The nurses were also influenced by their personal experience and their own values, ethics and morals. Nurses feel that suspected child abuse is a difficult matter that evoke much emotion. It is desirable with support from management and colleagues and time for self-reflection. Education leads to increased competence and safer conclusions by the nurses. It requires a great amount of courage to want to observe and dare question. With proper knowledge the nurse has a key role in being able to identify the signs and symptoms of abuse. She will also have the opportunity to act as the child's representative to protect the children