Patient abuse

Patient abuse or patient neglect is any action or failure to act which causes unreasonable suffering, misery or harm to the patient. Elder abuse is classified as patient abuse of those older than 60 and forms a large proportion of patient abuse.

• Abuse includes physically striking or sexually assaulting a patient. It also includes the intentional withholding of necessary food, physical care, and medical attention.
• Neglect includes the failure to properly attend to the needs and care of a patient, or the unintentional causing of injury to a patient, whether by act or omission.

Patient abuse and neglect may occur in settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and during home-based care. Health professionals who abuse patients may be deemed unfit to practice and have their medical license removed^: 20 as well as facing criminal charges as well as civil cases.

Abuse amongst the general adult population has not been well-addressed in literature.^: 8