Elk Grove Village, IL—(ENEWSPF)—October 6, 2015. Child physical abuse is common, with more than 119,000 victims and 600 deaths every year in the U.S. Early symptoms of abuse are also commonly missed by health care providers.
For the study, “Testing for Abuse in Children With Sentinel Injuries,” in the November 2015 Pediatrics (published online Oct. 5), researchers investigated whether routinely screening all children with certain “sentinel” injuries for child abuse would identify more children in time to protect them from further harm. For example, although bruises are extremely common in older children who crawl and walk, they are strongly associated with abuse in children younger than 6 months, and are often viewed as an indication of abuse in this age group.
For the study, researchers analyzed a database of children who were treated in the emergency department or inpatient wards of leading children’s hospitals to determine which sentinel injuries are most associated with physical abuse. Hospitals varied widely in screening and testing practices for children displaying putative sentinel injuries. Rates of abuse diagnosis varied considerably among hospitals, but overall rates of diagnosed abuse were high among young children found to have certain sentinel injuries without a motor vehicle collision. Children under age 2 years with rib fractures were diagnosed with abuse in more than 56 percent of cases; intracranial hemorrhage and abdominal injury also associated with abuse in more than 20 percent of cases.
Study authors conclude that increased, routine testing of children with sentinel injuries would identify other children with abuse who might otherwise be missed.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 64,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
Source: www.aap.org
