Violation of Professional Behavior Towards Nurses in Pakistan: An Ethical Violation in Healthcare Settings

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Abstract

Professional behavior violation is a ravaging issue worldwide. Incidents of violation of professionalism toward nurses are common in every healthcare setting either in public or in private sectors. Nurses are more vulnerable to workspace violence due to the nature of the job and tasks performed by them in healthcare settings. Lack of respect towards the nursing profession in Pakistani society is a significant contributing factor in violation of professional behavior in the workplace toward nurses. An ethical violation is a conduct that is against the code of ethics and policy of the institute. There are many categories of ethical violation in workplace but the nurses are facing mostly sexual harassment, safety violation, discrimination, professional boundaries violation, abusive and threathening behviour on daily basis. There are many reported cases in which nurses experience rape, unwanted sexual deeds, workplace bullying, and physical violence from patients, their family members and other paramedical staff which leads to the psychologically and physically detrimental effects on the health as well as on the career of the nurses. Yet nothing specific has been done to control the ethical violation at the healthcare settings in Pakistan. In Pakistan on the basis of the job description and direct contact of the nurses with patients and their family members, many incidents are yet disclosed because of the lack of security and threatening behavior toward the nurses in Pakistani society. There should be a strict penalty for those who are incriminated in any type of delinquency to help out the nurses to get through from the ethical violation efficiently and in a decent way. A protective and respectful work environment will give life to the nursing profession and improve the image of the nurses in healthcare settings.