Citation

Sege R, Flaherty EG. Arch. Dis. Child. 2008; 93(10): 822-824.

Affiliation

Boston Medical Center, United States.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/adc.2006.100545

PMID

18539683

Abstract

Forty years have passed since medical professionals in the United States were first required to report all cases of suspected child abuse to state child protective service agencies. Despite the passage of time, many cases of severe child physical abuse remain hidden. Healthcare professionals may not recognize common syndromes of child abuse, or, has been demonstrated in recent studies, may recognize the possibility of abuse but decide not to report the case to the state agencies. Rethinking the types of training we provide, the relationship between medical professionals and state agencies, and re-training medical and child protection professionals may be required to further improve the recognition and care of abused children.

Language: en