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Summary
Nurses need to be aware of their professional, legal and ethical responsibilities towards patients. Male nurses in particular face problems in their practice as a result of their gender and the stereotypes associated with male nurses. Such stereotypes can act as a barrier to their duty of care. This article examines the challenges associated with male nurses carrying out intimate, physical care. It discusses the ethical, legal and professional issues that male nurses should consider in relation to maintenance of patient dignity during nursing care provision, particularly in relation to female patients.
Keywords
Discrimination, job satisfaction, male staff, nurse-patient relations, nursing image, staff attitudes
These keywords are based on subject headings from the British Nursing Index. All articles are subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software. For author and research article guidelines visit the Nursing Standard home page at www.nursing-standard.co.uk. For related articles visit our online archive and search using the keywords.
A PROFESSIONAL DUTY of care is integral to the nurse-patient relationship (Dimond 2008a, Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) 2008a). This means that health professionals have a legal duty not to cause harm to those who depend on their skill and competence (Fullbrook 2007). The government has placed increased emphasis on the importance of professional accountability among NHS healthcare professionals in an attempt to raise standards of care (Department of Health (DH) 2000). It has encouraged professional regulatory bodies to bolster their codes of conduct by emphasising professional responsibility and accountability. In the case of the nursing profession, the NMC has increased the number of ethical standards to which nurses are expected to adhere (Fullbrook 2008, NMC 2008a). The NMC (2009a) has reported a rise in the number of nurses referred for investigation regarding their conduct and character during the past five years. Even though men comprise only 11% of the nursing workforce, Clover (2010) reported that male nurses made up 23% of referrals to the Investigating Committee panel of the NMC in 2009/10, with 42% being removed from the register.
These figures highlight a need to examine the role of men in nursing and to determine whether gender creates ethical and legal dilemmas that call into question the integrity and professionalism of male nurses. An...