5 Protecting Those Who Cannot Protect Themselves

Abstract

Study Objectives: When pediatric patients present to the emergency department (ED) status post head trauma, emergency physicians are trained to have a high level of suspicion for the possibility of abuse. If abuse is not identified at the initial visit, a resultant increase in morbidity and mortality has been described. Pre-verbal (age <2 years) patients, due to their small physical size, early developmental status, and need for constant care, are a particularly vulnerable population. Our objectives were to describe the prevalence of suspected/confirmed child abuse in pre-verbal patients presenting to the ED with isolated minor head trauma.