Children
Child abuse and neglect: the knowledge and practice of the A & E nurse

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0965-2302(98)90056-XGet rights and content

Abstract

The recognition of child abuse depends greatly on the skills of the Accident and Emergency (A & E) nurse. A lot of what is written in the relevant literature is repetitive. Much is written about what A & E nurses should know and should do, but there appears to be no research which examines their actual skills and knowledge in this area. This article addresses this and by using a Constructivist approach for the inquiry, identifies what a group of A & E nurses know about child abuse and what they do when a possible victim presents to the department. It identifies some cases which need addressing, particularly knowledge of current policies, guidelines and legislation. Also identified are the skills A & E nurses possess and those they utilize. The paper concludes that further training and education is needed for multi-disciplinary decision making about the role of the A & E nurse within the context of child abuse and neglect.

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      In order to confront abuse, the pre-requisite for integrated action seems to be specification of the purposes and roles each professional is supposed to play (Mildon & Shlonsky, 2011). According to Fagan (1998), collaboration among professionals is much more profitable when the competences of each member are clearly specified. The specification of roles and goals should ensure consistency and continuity of actions, avoiding the risks of fragmentation or the predominance of one phase of the intervention (assessment of abuse) over the others (evaluation of trauma and treatment of post-traumatic disorders).

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