title: Increased Screening for Child Physical Abuse in Emergency Departments in a Regional Trauma System: Response to a Sentinel Event.
abstract: A pediatric patient was assaulted while being treated at a Level 1 pediatric trauma center, prompting a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services site visit. The process of screening for physical abuse and protection of patients was reevaluated and revised, and a new guideline was implemented and shared with referral hospitals. During this same time period, 13 referral hospitals participated in an unrelated federally funded study determining the impact of recognition and care of injured children in states with and without a pediatric emergency care facility recognition program. A pre-post study analysis revealed that screening for abuse doubled during this time period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Trauma, Brenner Children's Hospital/Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (Ms Wilkins), Department of Emergency Medicine (Dr Nadkarni), and Division of Surgical Sciences and Department of Surgery (Dr Meredith), Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City (Dr Mann). Dr Ball is a private consultant.
authors.forename: Ginger G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Wilkins
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.forename: N Clay
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Mann
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nadkarni
authors.forename: J Wayne
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Meredith
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003691:Delaware; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D019221:Mandatory Reporting; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D009657:North Carolina; D000066550:Physical Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014193:Trauma Centers; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy