Women's Health, Size, and Safe Patient Handling: What Are the Ethical Issues?

Abstract

Women of size are at risk for inadequate preventive well-woman care, delays in cancer diagnosis, and access to prenatal care. The threat of nursing injuries related to caring for women of size compound the issue. The impact of nursing injuries is serious in the United States, yet processes to date fail to address the real-life demands of nursing care. This challenge is debated herein using an ethical framework to present the issues bariatric nurses face on a daily basis pertaining to the concern of women's health, size, and safe patient handling.