title: Invisible borders: sexual misconduct in nursing.
abstract: Sexual misconduct can occur when nurses practise in close physical or emotional proximity with patients. Nurses, however, have a professional responsibility to maintain professional boundaries to avoid the potential for sexual misconduct to occur. In New Zealand, there is evidence that some nurses have been involved in sexual misconduct, resulting in disciplinary proceedings against them. Despite this, there is an absence of guidelines and discussion for New Zealand nurses to prevent such occurrences. This article identifies difficulties in naming and defining sexual misconduct, and discusses sexual misconduct as an abuse of power by nurses. New Zealand and international literature about sexual misconduct by nurses and other health professionals is described, as are guidelines designed to prevent sexual misconduct. Finally, we make recommendations for actions needed to facilitate New Zealand nurses in identifying and avoiding sexual misconduct in practice.
authors.affiliation: Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Farrow
mesh_terms: D004506:Education, Nursing / Q000379:methods; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics*; D011209:Power, Psychological; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D028743:Professional Misconduct / Q000941:ethics*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000941:ethics*