Nurses reported the kinds of abuse they may encounter as emotional abuse, financial exploitation, neglect and physical abuse. None of the nurses reported sexual abuse, and one nurse stated: ‘I’m trying to think. . .I don’t think we’ve ever seen sexual. . .not to my knowledge’. Another nurse stated, ‘I’ve worked in the surgical intensive care unit for over 20 years and I haven’t seen any signs of any physical abuse, partly because as a nurse in the ICU, you’re usually so busy you don’t have time to scratch your nose’.