Topic 2 DQ 1

According to the CDC one out of four children have been victims of abuse in their lives and action needs to be taken immediately to prevent it. Abuse is defined as any harm, potential harm, or the threat of harm to children 18 years and younger by a parent, caregiver, or someone in a custodial role. There are four types of child abuse 1. Physical, 2. Sexual, 3. Emotional, 4. Neglect. Neglect is the most common of the four, followed by physical abuse, (The Red Flags of Child Abuse, 2021)

My discussion reflects on the infant. During a thorough assessment as the professional we must advocate for this age group. Signs of neglect would be observed as poor hygiene, poor growth patterns/developmental delays, inappropriate clothing for the season, and hunger. The physical signs of abuse to look for include bruising, burns, welts, injuries that mirror the shape of an object, fractures, dislocations, and new/healing lacerations. Another major finding is a brain injury which may cause retinal hemorrhages caused by shaken baby syndrome. The signs of possible sexual abuse to look for are redness and swelling of the genitalia, bleeding, recurring urinary tract infections, and signs of sexually transmitted diseases. Early recognition is crucial to initiate treatment to minimize or prevent further abuse, (The Red Flags of Abuse, 2021).

Parents have a great deal of leeway in decision making on medical care and religious beliefs. In some states religious beliefs that prevent seeking medical treatment for a child is not considered abuse. It becomes complicated when parents deny medical care treatment for their child, especially when they feel that their religion is more powerful. In the United States religious freedom is valued to the extreme where states grant parents the right to refuse life saving medical treatments if the parents can prove that administering treatment violates their religious beliefs. Such religions include Christian Scientist, Jehovah’s Witness, and Orthodox Jews, (The Red Flags of Abuse, 2021).

In the state of Georgia, the procedure for reporting child abuse is to call 911 if you conclude that the situation needs immediate attention. If no immediate danger is present, contact your local police department and The Division of Family Services, (DFCS). DFCS is a child protective service and reporting can be don 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, (Department of Humans Services, DFCS).

As Professional Nurses we have a responsibility and are mandated to report child abuse. Laws used to mandate reporting child abuse has triggered global controversy. The definition of child abuse differs between jurisdiction and the lack of a uniform definition causes problems for mandatory reporters. Reporting includes notifying child protective services, and law enforcement. It is imperative to report child abuse quickly to ensure the child’s safety. Reporting abuse is not an accusation it is simply a request for an investigation and assessment, (Liu,B. 2019).

References:

Respond to the above post with 200-300 words APA format with references supporting the discussion

Sophoan Davis 2 postsRe: Topic 1 DQ 2

The first education recommendation from the IOM I agree with is to allow “interprofessional team training of nurses, physicians and other health care providers” (2011). I attended a leadership course a few years ago. The group consisted of physicians, nurses, pharmacist, laboratory technicians, nurse aids, etc. It was eye opening to listen to the stories of personal and organizational struggles from different fields. We realized we had common ground: Patient-centered care. Also, I currently work in a program with multidisciplinary team members. My team consist of a medical director, a nurse practitioner, a psychologist, two physical therapist and two registered nurses. It is rewarding to work with providers who are open to discussing a patient’s care plan, bounce ideas and hear suggestions. Allowing interprofessional team training will influence comradery which in turn will boost quality patient care.

The second education recommendation from the IOM I agree with is to allow nurses to move seamlessly through the education system to higher levels of education (IOM, 2011). I believe the most difficult thing for working nurses is to balance work and school. If the education program structure can allow for this, we will have more nurses in school with higher degrees. “Nurses with graduate degrees will be able to replenish the nurse faculty pool; advance nursing science and contribute to the knowledge base on how nurses can provide up-to-date, safe patient care; participate in health care decisions; and provide the leadership needed to establish nurses as full partners in health care redesign efforts” (IOM, 2011).

The APRN role is evolving. The realization of the role and responsibilities are becoming widely known and discussed. Patients are sharing quality of their care. With the shortages in primary care providers, more people are trusting and turning to APRNs. And rightly so.

Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine. The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2011. 1, Key Messages of the Report. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209881/