Doing the right thing: a primary care pediatrician's perspective on child abuse reporting

Abstract

The Child Abuse Recognition Experience Study (CARES) demonstrated that primary care physicians and nurse practitioners who treat injured children find the decision of whether to report suspected abuse difficult. This commentary briefly summarizes and responds to the papers presented at the Child Abuse Recognition, Research, and Education Translation (CARRET) Conference. The commentator traces her own changing views of child protective services as she became more involved in a multidisciplinary assessment team. Pediatricians are called on to advocate for more effective collaborations to better protect vulnerable maltreated children.