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A screening protocol for child abuse at out-of-hours primary care locations: a descriptive study.
- Source :
- BMC Family Practice; 11/8/2016, Vol. 17, p1-8, 8p, 2 Diagrams, 2 Charts, 1 Graph
- Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- Background: Child abuse is often unrecognized at out-of-hours primary care (OOH-PC) services. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of the screening instrument SPUTOVAMO-R2 for child abuse (checklist), followed by a structured approach (reporting code), at OOH-PC services. The reporting code with five steps should ensure consistent action in case of a suspicion. Methods: All children attending one of the five participating OOH-PC services in the region of Utrecht, the Netherlands, in a year time, were included. The checklist is an obligatory field in the electronic patient file and was filled in for all children. In case of a positive checklist, the steps in the reporting code were followed. Additionally, the case was evaluated in a multidisciplinary team to determine the probability of child abuse. Results: The checklist was filled in for 50671 children; 108 (0.2 %) were positive. The multidisciplinary team diagnosed child abuse in 24 (22 %) of the 108 positive checklists, and no child abuse in 36 (33 %). Emotional neglect was the most frequent type of abuse diagnosed. For all abused children, care was implemented according to the protocol. The most frequent care given was a referral to the hospital (N = 7) or contact with child's own general practitioner (N =6). Conclusion: A checklist followed by a reporting code guarantees consistent actions and care for children with a suspicion of child abuse. The percentage of positive checklists is lower than expected. Validity of the checklist should be assessed in a diagnostic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 14712296
- Volume :
- 17
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- BMC Family Practice
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 119443528
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-016-0554-4