title: Doing the right thing: a primary care pediatrician's perspective on child abuse reporting.
abstract: The Child Abuse Recognition Experience Study (CARES) demonstrated that primary care physicians and nurse practitioners who treat injured children find the decision of whether to report suspected abuse difficult. This commentary briefly summarizes and responds to the papers presented at the Child Abuse Recognition, Research, and Education Translation (CARRET) Conference. The commentator traces her own changing views of child protective services as she became more involved in a multidisciplinary assessment team. Pediatricians are called on to advocate for more effective collaborations to better protect vulnerable maltreated children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Martha Eliot Health Center, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts 02130-1401, USA. clairemccarthy@comcast.net
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McCarthy
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D019221:Mandatory Reporting; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education; D010819:Physician's Role; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014481:United States; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis