Nursing Trends
What does battery in nursing means?
In nursing, the battery is referred to as unwanted and willful touching of someone angrily or rudely. The battery in nursing is another word for physical abuse. This form of physical abuse can stand for anything from raising a hand to hitting another person to self-mutilation. There are various kinds of physical abuse that nursing professionals witness daily.
Examples of batteries in the nursing profession
Nursing professionals can experience battery from those patients who have become quite combative with those patients. Often these nurses get injured by persons when they are not restrained adequately during a delirium episode. For instance- a nurse can experience battery while entering a room to check the medical signs and symptoms of the patient and then get struck or injured by the patient. Although it is challenging to give evidence of violence between family members at their respective houses, it is too easy to give evidence of the intent of violence between nurses and patients. The nurse who gets assaulted is a felony, and this form of physical abuse or violence against nursing professionals at regular intervals has increased rapidly over the years.
As per the International Association of Forensic Nurses and their reports published on the website, nursing staff declares battery in their profession as a means of ‘punching, pinching, slapping, hitting, kicking a person without seeking their consent. Apart from suffering from physical abuse, nurses also have to take verbal abuse from patients. This abuse occurs in the form of threatening remarks or curses about nurses and their associated family members. Another instance where nurse often experiences verbal abuse is when visitors and their group yells at an ER nurse’s front desk since they have to wait to be seen by a physician.
Is the battery in the field of nursing a common issue?
Yes, battery cases in the nursing profession are very common, and it has increased over the past eight years. In the course of their working career, nurses will get to experience a minimum of one act of verbal and physical abuse. As per a study, it has been proved that 57% critical care nurses have experienced physical assault and abuse from either a patient or their family members in their nursing career. The mean number of physical abuses has happened more than 1.39 times. One out of ten nurses have also been assaulted sexually, accounting for 9% of nurses. Approximately 15% of nurses have to go through physical abuse and injuries from the patients and their family members.
Why does the battery in the nursing profession seem to exist?
If you ask whether the battery in this nursing field has existed from the beginning, the answer is no. The battery didn’t exist from the beginning. There used to be a time when the nurses and their family members get much respect, but now the scenario has changed a bit as more violence against nurses has started taking place. As per many individuals, the lack of respect for the nurses from these patients has resulted since nurses are not appreciated for their work and are nowadays undervalued. Society isn’t valuing the nurses and their work, and this lack of respect is spreading among people and gets noticed when they contact nurses. Also, society has turned a bit more violent in recent years, contributing to the abuse/violence shown towards nurses.
What should a nurse do when they experience battery?
On getting to experience battery, the nurse must report the incident immediately to their supervisor so that the supervising authority can file a report quickly and take immediate action against the accused patient. The supervisor can also change the patient’s status from admitted into triage status. If this option isn’t enough, then law enforcement or security is needed to deal with and respond to this type of situation. Depending on the state where nurses work, they may also have valid legal rights for pressing charges against their assailant for battery in the field of nursing. When a nurse feels threatened due to such abuse, they must know about their surroundings and understand their right so that they can file a legal report against the person who causes them such violence.
Can nursing professionals get into trouble due to battery in their profession?
Yes, a nurse can get into trouble due to battery in the nursing field. If nursing staff strikes a person or uses force against a patient beyond the restraining limit, criminal charges are pressed against the accused around a battery in nursing. Each state has a set variety of laws regarding the extent of force that you can use legally while you restrain someone and where your duty comes to an end once legal law enforcement gets into the situation.
What will happen to a nursing professional who is found to commit battery in the nursing profession?
If a nursing profession is convicted or accused of battery in nursing, then it will be permanently placed on their record. Clinics and hospitals usually perform background checks on nursing staff to ensure they are qualified. During this legal search, the battery in nursing charges on a nurse’s name would be shown up. In many states, the battery in nursing charges is known to be a misdemeanor which states that these charges will be looked at as criminal offenses even though you are not sued or pressed charges for an injury case associated with the victim’s battery. This will hamper your opportunity to get hired in many employment places since no employer would seek to hire staff involved in violence-related charges. Although some job positions may have usability for nurses, who are convicted of battery in nursing, it is not legally right to commit such a crime.
Conclusion
A nursing career is often referred to as a dangerous career since nursing professionals have to expose themselves to different environments involving different types of people. Nursing staff needs to communicate and express themselves freely when treated poorly and shown disrespect by patients and their family members. It is also important for nurses to clearly understand their legal rights when the battery in nursing is involved. Nurses must take immediate legal action when they experience battery in nursing and should contact a lawyer and seek the advice of the Nursing board.
