Screening contacts of physically abused children

Abstract

The household contacts of physically abused children are at increased risk of non-accidental injury. However, there are no current guidelines for screening such contacts, and current practice varies among institutions. In this issue of The Journal, Lindberg et al report a prospective study of 1918 contacts of 1196 children referred for evaluation of possible abuse in 20 US centers. The authors identified injuries or disclosures of abuse in 9.4% of contacts and found that recommended screening procedures, such as skeletal survey, neuroimaging, interviews, and physical examination of contact children, often were not performed.