Abstract

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) defines child abuse and maltreatment as “all forms of physical and emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, and commercial exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to a child’s health, survival, development or dignity...” (OMS 2002). Statistics show that child abuse and neglect is rising at an alarming rate. Due to an increase in the number of such cases, the Italian Minister of Health has defined the phenomenon of abuse and violence against minors as a health problem, and not only a social or, safety issue. Such events are complex in nature and require the expertise of various disciplines. In order to ascertain if abuse was indeed perpetrated on a minor, careful verification of the facts is required, as well as an objective “legal-medical” examination. The only suitable means for tackling this task is teamwork. One very important resource to consider is the registered nurse, who is often the first health care worker to come into contact with the presumed victim. By spending time with these young patients, it is easier for a forensic nurse to take on the role of “confidant” while at the same time looking out for unusual behaviors, or any signs of physical abuse such as lesions or burns. Method The aim of this poster is to examine the contributions of forensic nursing in the evaluation of child abuse and neglect. Results Notwithstanding recent institutional laws and regulations put into place that redefine the job descriptions of healthcare providers, nurses in Italy do not have complete decisional autonomy. A nurse’s image is still closely connected to that of the physician. This goes against current Italian ethical and penal code, which lays out the specific roles of healthcare workers with regarding juveniles who are presumed victims of abuse. Conclusions Forensic nursing specialized in the verification of child abuse and neglect is well established and considered to be very important in countries such as the United States. It is a hopeful sign that registered nurses’ roles and autonomy in legal-medical matters, such as child abuse and neglect, have been recognized in Italy.

Autore Pugliese

• Grattagliano Ignazio

Tutti gli autori

• GRATTAGLIANO I.

Titolo volume/Rivista

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Anno di pubblicazione

2012

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Nessuna citazione

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Settori ERC

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