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

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 multidisciplinary decision making about the role of the A & E nurse within the context of child abuse and neglect.