Evaluation of Child Abuse in Children with Suspicious Injuries

Investigators retrospectively quantified rates of abuse diagnosis among children <24 months of age with injuries suspicious for abuse (sentinel injuries) who were evaluated in emergency departments or inpatient wards of 18 children's hospitals participating in the Pediatric Health Information System. Based on the literature, sentinel injuries were defined as bruising, burns, or oropharyngeal injuries in children <6 months old; long bone fractures, isolated skull fractures, or intracranial hemorrhage in children <12 months old; and rib fractures, abdominal trauma, genital injury, or subconjunctival hemorrhage in children <24 months old. Patients with a previous diagnosis of abuse or injuries from motor vehicle accidents were excluded.

Among m…