Am I Sure I Want to Go Down This Road? Hesitations in the Reporting of Child Maltreatment by Nurses

Shelly S. Eisbach, Martha Driessnack

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

35 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the process of mandated reporting of child maltreatment by pediatric nurses. DESIGN & METHODS: Qualitative description using a grounded theory lens was used with a cross-section of pediatric nurses. Results: A point of divergence in the reporting process appears to occur at the first of three moderating points. When nurses hesitate at this first point, decision-making becomes complex and delays the reporting process, giving rise to two themes: " It's the law" and " The ones that haunt you." Practice Implications: Increasing educational efforts focused on the recognition of child maltreatment may impact nurses' low rate of reporting.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)317-323
Number of pages7
JournalJournal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing
Volume15
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2010

Keywords

  • Child maltreatment
  • Mandatory reporting
  • Nursing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Am I Sure I Want to Go Down This Road? Hesitations in the Reporting of Child Maltreatment by Nurses'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this