Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Volume 7, Issue 3 , Pages 181-185 , September 2006

Let the Record Speak: Medicolegal Documentation in Cases of Child Maltreatment

  • Allison M. Jackson, MD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Freddie Mac Foundation Child and Adolescent Protection Center, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
    • George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests and correspondence: Allison M. Jackson, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Freddie Mac Foundation Child and Adolescent Protection Center, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20010.
    • ,
  • Alexandra Rucker, MD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
    • ,
  • Tanya Hinds, MD, MS

      Affiliations

    • Freddie Mac Foundation Child and Adolescent Protection Center, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
    • ,
  • Joseph L. Wright, MD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Child Health Advocacy Institute, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
    • Emergency Medicine and Prevention and Community Health, George Washington University Schools of Medicine and Public Health, Washington, DC

References 

  1. Amon M. $5 million awarded in medical malpractice suit. The Washington Post Sunday, February 15, 2004.
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  3. Warner JE, Hansen DJ. The identification and reporting of physical abuse by physicians: a review and implications for research. Child Abuse Negl. 1994;18:11–25
  4. Dubowitz H, Bross DC. The pediatrician's documentation of child maltreatment. Am J Dis Child. 1992;146:596–599
  5. Department of Health and Human Services . Administration on Children, Youth, and Families. Child maltreatment 2003. online Washington (DC): Government Printing Office; 2005;
  6. Johnson CF, Apolo J, Joseph JA, et al. Child abuse diagnosis and the emergency department chart. Pediatr Emerg Care. 1986;2:6–9
  7. Boyce MC, Melhorn KJ, Vargo G. Pediatric trauma documentation: adequacy for assessment of child abuse. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1996;150:730–732
  8. Limbos MA, Berkowitz CD. Documentation of child physical abuse: how far have we come?. Pediatrics. 1998;102:53–58
  9. Oral R, Blum KL, Johnson C. Fractures in young children: are physicians in the emergency department and orthopedic clinics adequately screening for possible abuse?. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2003;19:148–153
  10. Socolar RR, Champion M, Green C. Physicians' documentation of sexual abuse of children. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1996;150:191–196
  11. Socolar RR, Raines B, Chen-Mok M, et al. Intervention to improve physician documentation and knowledge of child sexual abuse: a randomized, controlled trial. Pediatrics. 1998;101:817–824
  12. Saulsbury FT, Campbell RE. Evaluation of child abuse reporting by physicians. Am J Dis Child. 1985;139:393–395
  13. Warner-Rogers JE, Hansen DJ, Speith LE. The influence of case and professional variables on identification and reporting of physical abuse: a study with medical students. Child Abuse Negl. 1996;20:851–866
  14. Adams JA, Harper K, Knudson S, et al. Examination findings in legally confirmed child sexual abuse: it's normal to be normal. Pediatrics. 1994;94:310–317
  15. Bays J, Chadwick D. Medical diagnosis of the sexually abused child. Child Abuse Negl. 1993;17:91–110
  16. Heger AH, Ticson L, Velasquez O, et al. Children referred for possible sexual abuse: medical findings in 2384 children. Child Abuse Negl. 2002;26:645–659
  17. Berenson AB, Chacko MR, Wiemann CM, et al. A case-control study of anatomic changes resulting from sexual abuse. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2000;182:820–831
  18. Paine ML, Hansen DJ. Factors influencing children to self-disclose sexual abuse. Clin Psychol Rev. 2002;22:271–295
  19. Pierce MC, Bertocci GE, Janosky J, et al. Femur fractures resulting from stair falls in children: an injury plausibility model. Pediatrics. 2005;115:1712–1722
  20. Christopher NC, Anderson D, Gaertner L, et al. Childhood injuries and the importance of documentation in the emergency department. Pediatr Emerg Care. 1995;11:52–57
  21. Fosarelli P, Baker MD. What you don't record can hurt you: documentation in the emergency department. Pediatr Emerg Care. 1985;1:223–227
  22. Bar-on ME, Zanga JR. Child abuse: a model for the use of structured clinical forms. Pediatrics. 1996;98:429–433
  23. Adams JA. Approach to the interpretation of medical and laboratory findings in suspected child sexual abuse: a 2005 revision. The APSAC Advisor, Summer 2005.
  24. Teicher MH, Andersen SL, Polcari A, et al. Developmental neurobiology of childhood stress and trauma. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2002;25:397–426
  25. Maker AH, Kemmelmeier M, Peterson C. Child sexual abuse, peer sexual abuse, and sexual assault in adulthood: a multi-risk model of revictimization. J Trauma. 2001;14:351–368
  26. Alexander R, Crabbe L, Sato Y, et al. Serial abuse in children who are shaken. Am J Dis Child. 1990;144:58–60
  27. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Families . A nation's shame: fatal child abuse and neglect in the United States. In: A Report of the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect (5th Report). 1995;

PII: S1522-8401(06)00039-5

doi: 10.1016/j.cpem.2006.05.001

Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Volume 7, Issue 3 , Pages 181-185 , September 2006

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