Purpose Nurses play a crucial role in cases of victims of child abuse; however, but there is a need for a comprehensive understanding of their specific roles, responsibilities, and best practices is needed.
Methods This integrative review aims to synthesize existing evidence on the role of nurses in cases of victims of child abuse. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycINFO, and Scopus databases. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases. This review included 12 qualitative and quantitative studies. Results: This review identified the following four themes: nurses’ responsibility, intention to report child abuse, perceptions of child abuse, and risk assessment of child abuse. The findings revealed that nurses play a multifaceted role in child abuse situations. Evidence-based practices and guidelines were identified to optimize recovery outcomes among children who have experienced abuse.
Conclusion This integrative review contributes to the body of knowledge on nurses’ role in cases of victims of child abuse by providing valuable insights for nursing practice, education, and policy. These findings can help guide nurses in developing evidence-based interventions and collaborative approaches to support the recovery of victims of child abuse.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Navigating parenthood: a qualitative study of parental guidance and support in Norwegian child health clinics Elise Tveråmo Aastveit, Bente Prytz Mjølstad International Journal of Qualitative Studies on He.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Exploring nursing students' awareness about child abuse and neglect Mohammad M. Alnaeem, Mohammad A. Abu Sabra, Ayman M. Hamdan-Mansour Child Abuse & Neglect.2025; 163: 107430. CrossRef
Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency, perceived importance and competence of pediatric emergency nursing practice (PENP) in nurses who cared for pediatric patients in the emergency department.
Methods This cross-sectional descriptive study analyzed 175 emergency department nurses caring for pediatric patients at 7 university hospitals with more than 500 beds, located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The measurement tool was modified from the Classification of Standard Nursing Activities to measure the frequency, importance of PENP, and nursing competence. It comprised 143 items in 16 domains of PENP.
Results The most frequent nursing practice was the domain of ‘nursing records and environmental management’ and the least frequent practice was the ‘research and consulting’ domain. The nursing care domain perceived to be most important by nurses was ‘specialized intensive nursing care’. The nursing care domain with the highest level of nursing competence was ‘hygiene care’, and the domain with the least level of nursing competence was the ‘research and consulting’.
Conclusion These results will be utilized as basic data for future pediatric emergency nursing education initiatives and for establishing priorities of nursing policy to improve health care for children admitted to the emergency department.