Detection, diagnosis, and prevention of child abuse: the role of the pediatrician

Abstract

It is the pediatrician's role to promote the child's well-being and to help parents raise healthy, well-adjusted children. Today's pediatricians are confronted with a patient population in which there is a high prevalence of child abuse in its different presentations (physical, sexual, and psychological abuse and/or neglect). The immediate and long-term consequences of child abuse often are lifelong and even life-threatening in its most dramatic presentation. Unfortunately, detection of child abuse remains a difficult challenge for many physicians but also for the "well-trained" pediatrician, leaving many abused children unreported. This paper addresses the important role pediatricians can play in the detection, diagnosis, and prevention of child maltreatment.