• Public health nursing · Mar 2019

    Crossing the line: Sexual misconduct by nurses reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank.

    • Azza AbuDagga, Sidney M Wolfe, Michael Carome, and Robert E Oshel.
    • Health Research Group, Public Citizen Washington, District of Columbia.
    • Public Health Nurs. 2019 Mar 1; 36 (2): 109-117.

    ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to examine nurse sexual-misconduct-related reports in the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) and to compare them with reports for other types of offenses.Design And PopulationWe analyzed NPDB's reports of adverse state nursing board licensure actions and malpractice payments for all nurses from January 1, 2003, to June 30, 2016.ResultsOverall, 882 nurses had sexual-misconduct-related reports. Most were aged 35-54 (63.2%), male (63.2%), and registered or advanced practice nurses (61.5%). The disciplinary actions noted in the 988 nurse sexual-misconduct-related licensure reports were more frequently serious than those noted in the 207,023 reports for other offenses committed by nurses (90.8% vs. 74.8%, respectively; p < 0.001). Of the 33 nurses with sexual-misconduct-related malpractice-payment reports, 48.5% were not disciplined by any state board of nursing for these offenses. Three-quarters of the victims in the 47 sexual-misconduct-related malpractice-payment reports were female, with "emotional injury only" reported as the severity of injury in 91.5% of these reports.ConclusionsVery few nurses have been reported to the NPDB due to sexual misconduct. We welcome a zero-tolerance standard against sexual misconduct involving patients by all types of health care professionals, including nurses.© 2018 Public Citizen Foundation. Public Health Nursing Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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