Child Abuse and the Pediatric Surgeon: An APSA Position Statement
Topic overview
APSA position statement establishing child physical abuse as a traumatic disease requiring formal trauma system resources and pediatric surgeon involvement. Recommends standardized screening tools at trauma centers, surgical service admission for suspected cases, and multidisciplinary team coordination with child abuse pediatricians and CPS.
Key takeaways
- Child physical abuse should be managed within formal trauma systems with pediatric surgeon involvement due to polytrauma risk and injury severity.
- Implement standardized screening tools for child abuse at all state-designated trauma centers and children's surgery hospitals.
- Admit suspected child abuse patients to surgical trauma services for coordinated multidisciplinary care with child abuse pediatricians and CPS.
- Pediatric surgeons are legally mandated to report suspected abuse to Child Protective Services for investigation.
- Document abuse screening and diagnosis in trauma registries (NTDB, ACS TQIP) for benchmarking and quality improvement.
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