title: Hospital-based screening tools in the identification of non-accidental trauma.
abstract: Over 700,000 children are victims of abuse and neglect each year in the United States. Effective screening programs that entail broad capture of suspected non-accidental trauma (NAT) may help to identify sentinel injuries. This can facilitate earlier detection and psychosocial interventions in hopes of decreasing recurrent NAT, which confers a higher mortality rate. The purpose of this article is to outline essential components of hospital-based NAT screening tools and highlight existing programs. In general, these tools should include several components: education sessions for healthcare providers on how to identify signs of NAT, automated notes or checklists within the electronic medical record to prompt specialty referrals, and a multidisciplinary team of experts that can address the needs of these children in the acute care setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Center for Surgical Outcomes Research, The Research Institute, Nationwide Children׳s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Pediatric Surgery, Nationwide Children׳s Hospital, 700 Children׳s Dr, Columbus, Ohio 43205.
authors.forename: Dani O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Center for Surgical Outcomes Research, The Research Institute, Nationwide Children׳s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Pediatric Surgery, Nationwide Children׳s Hospital, 700 Children׳s Dr, Columbus, Ohio 43205. Electronic address: Katherine.Deans@nationwidechildrens.org.
authors.forename: Katherine J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Deans
mesh_terms: D057189:Checklist; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D012008:Recurrence; D014481:United States
keywords: Child abuse; Children; Hospital screening; Non-accidental trauma; Pediatric surgery