title: Why patients get the blame for being ill.
abstract: A key part of the nurse's role is to observe, listen and deliver high quality nursing care and not to pass judgement. Unfortunately, many nurses exhibit prejudice and bias towards patients who appear different from the 'norm' or who do not somehow meet their standards. In this article, the author explores studies of such behaviour and uses attribution theory to explain possible causes and ways of avoiding judgmental attitudes.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walsh
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D011287:Prejudice; D012803:Sick Role