Findings of Nonaccidental Trauma in Household Contacts of Physically Abused Children

In a prospective, multicenter study of 627 physically abused children <10 years of age (index cases), investigators determined the prevalence of abusive injuries among 479 children sharing their homes (contacts). Index cases were identified by 20 U.S. child abuse teams and determined to have been physically abused if they had at least one serious injury and a score on a published seven-point scale indicating high likelihood of abuse. A screening protocol directed child abuse physicians to recommend a standardized age-based evaluation for contacts: physical examination for those aged 2 to 5 years, physical examination and skeletal survey for those aged 6 to 24 months, and physical examination, skeletal survey, and neuroimaging for those aged…