The Pediatrician's Role in the Treatment of Child Abuse: Implications from a National Evaluation Study

Abstract

What is the pediatrician's role in the treatment of child abuse? Much attention has been focused on the pediatrician's responsibility and frequent reluctance in detecting cases of child abuse and referring them on to the appropriate authorities.1-4 The pediatrician is more and more frequently included or trained to be included on multidisciplinary review teams to assist in the diagnosis and substantiation of cases.5,6 However, the pediatrician's role has largely been restricted to detection, referral, and medical diagnosis. And the analysis of the pediatrician's role has been limited accordingly.7-9 A recent study of child abuse programs supports the importance of these roles but further suggests that the pediatrician is in a unique position to contribute in additional ways to the treatment of child abuse.