Child Abuse Management in Pediatrics

Child abuse is preventable, and pediatricians can play a role in identifying children who are at risk. Pediatricians should know how to identify children who are at risk for child abuse or are being abused. Knowing the right screening questions to ask can help pediatricians in both cases.

Listen to a pediatric expert discuss child abuse management

In this episode, we discuss the diagnosis and management of child abuse in primary care pediatrics. We are pleased to speak with Andy Sirotnak, MD, who recently released his new book at the 2019 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition (NCE), Child Abuse Medical Diagnosis and Management.

Dr. Sirotnak is a Professor and Vice-Chair for Faculty Affairs in the Department of Pediatrics and the Director of the Child Protection Team at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

This episode was recorded live from the 2019 AAP NCE in New Orleans.

In this episode, our expert discusses:

• The new edition of his book, Child Abuse: Medical Diagnosis and Management
• Preventing child abuse and how to ask the right questions
• The spectrum of child abuse and what can be constituted by the term
• Red flags for providers when interacting with a child who might be at risk
• Digging deeper and asking the right questions around the most sensitive topics
• Handling these difficult conversations and taking lessons from other experiences
• Resources for ongoing assistance to families dealing with issues
• Staying curious and engaged with each case and the importance of following up
• Laws around child abuse and how they differ from state to state

Management of child abuse at Children’s Colorado

Children's Colorado offers the only hospital-based multidisciplinary child abuse program in Colorado, and one of the oldest in the nation. With a comprehensive program of clinical care, education, research and advocacy, we proudly meet the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) designation criteria as a Child Abuse Center of Excellence. The Child Protection Team's mission is to offer comprehensive, multidisciplinary consultation, assessment, treatment and referral services for children and adolescents who may have been physically or sexually abused or neglected.