Improving access to child abuse evaluations through innovation & telemedicine.

Many children and families do not have access to specialized pediatric health care, including child abuse pediatricians. Medical evaluations in cases of suspected child maltreatment including physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect are a critical component of the multidisciplinary team response to these concerns. We review the role of child abuse pediatricians in cases of suspected child maltreatment. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of current models of care including co-location of child abuse specialists within children's advocacy centers, hospital-based medical evaluation programs and community-based clinics. We review barriers to universal and equitable access to specialized care. We then highlight the significance of telemedicine as an important tool for improving access to care for children who would not otherwise have access.

Yield of Postmortem Skeletal Surveys in Infants Presenting to Emergency Care With Sudden and Unexpected Death.

OBJECTIVES: Child abuse should be considered in cases of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID). Postmortem skeletal surveys (PM-SS) are recommended to evaluate for abusive fractures in SUID. Little is known about the yield of PM-SS among infants presenting to emergency care with SUID. Our objectives were to (1) describe the presentation and care of infants with SUID at a tertiary children's hospital emergency department and (2) report PM-SS use and findings. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of infants younger than 12 months with SUID presenting to an urban emergency department from 2007 to 2019. We describe their presentation and care, including PM-SS performance and findings, referrals to the medical examiner, and reports to child protective services (CPS). We assessed for associations between race, payer, and presentation with reports to CPS. RESULTS: Of 73 infants with SUID, concern for unsafe sleep was documented in 45 (61.6%) and 71 (97.3%) underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation by a medical professional. All 73 (100%) underwent PM-SS and were referred to the medical examiner. Twelve definite fractures (11 rib, 1 classic metaphyseal lesion) and 8 possible fractures (7 rib, 1 classic metaphyseal lesion) were identified among 6 (8.2%) infants. Forty-three (58.9%) were reported to CPS. There were no associations between race, payer, age, or history of unsafe sleep and CPS reports. CONCLUSIONS: One in 12 cases of SUID had a possible and/or definite fracture identified on plain radiography. Multicenter studies are needed to compare yield across different postmortem imaging modalities and populations.

Use of Telemedicine for Children in Foster Care.

Introduction: Telemedicine studies specific to children in foster care are needed, given unique health care needs and barriers. It is important to utilize lessons learned from telemedicine programs deployed by necessity during the COVID-19 emergency. Objectives: Describe telemedicine health assessments for children in foster care performed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Compare medical recommendations resulting from telemedicine and in-person assessments. Methods: After navigating barriers specific to children in foster care including consent issues, we implemented a telemedicine program at our specialty clinic for children in foster care when in-person visits were restricted. Outcomes of telemedicine referrals were tracked. After each visit, physicians were asked to rate ability to express themselves, hear and see patients from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) using items from the validated Telehealth Usability Questionnaire. Recommendations for laboratory work, medication, and health services referrals were recorded and compared with 205 patients seen in-person the year prior. Results: From 91 referrals, 83 (91%) children with a mean age of 9 years completed telemedicine visits. Physicians rated receptive and expressive communications more favorably than visual quality. Most telemedicine patients (77%) received a referral for health care services but had significantly lower rates of laboratory work completion, vision referrals, and prescriptions for new medications compared with 205 patients seen in-person. Conclusions: Results suggest that telemedicine was accessible to most patients and highlighted essential in-person components of comprehensive health assessments. Findings could inform ongoing telemedicine applications and advocacy for underserved populations.

Community Resource Connection for Pediatric Caregivers With Unmet Social Needs: A Qualitative Study.

OBJECTIVE: Pediatric health systems are increasingly screening caregivers for unmet social needs. However, it remains unclear how best to connect families with unmet needs to available and appropriate community resources. We aimed to explore caregivers' perceived barriers to and facilitators of community resource connection. METHODS: We conducted semistructured interviews with caregivers of pediatric patients admitted to one inpatient unit of an academic quaternary care children's hospital. All caregivers who screened positive for one or more unmet social needs on a tablet-based screener were invited to participate in an interview. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded by 2 independent coders using content analysis, resolving discrepancies by consensus. Interviews continued until thematic saturation was achieved. RESULTS: We interviewed 28 of 31 eligible caregivers. Four primary themes emerged. First, caregivers of children with complex chronic conditions felt that competing priorities related to their children's medical care often made it more challenging to establish connection with resources. Second, caregivers cited burdensome application and enrollment processes as a barrier to resource connection. Third, caregivers expressed a preference for geographically tailored, web-based resources, rather than paper resources. Last, caregivers expressed a desire for ongoing longitudinal support in establishing and maintaining connections with community resources after their child's hospital discharge. CONCLUSION: Pediatric caregivers with unmet social needs reported competing priorities and burdensome application processes as barriers to resource connection. Electronic resources can help caregivers identify locally available services, but longitudinal supports may also be needed to ensure caregivers can establish and maintain linkages with these services.

Using Quality Improvement and Technology to Improve Social Supports for Hospitalized Children.

OBJECTIVES: To develop and test the feasibility of a caregiver self-administered social needs screener, a Web-based searchable community resource map, and a process map for implementation of these tools as part of social needs screening and referral on a pediatric inpatient unit. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team used quality improvement methodology to develop an electronic social needs screener, resource map Web site, and electronic health record enhancements. A process map for implementation of these tools was refined through plan-do-study-act cycles before full implementation. Weekly measures included the number of eligible caregivers screened, prevalence of reported social needs, and use of social work resources. RESULTS: During the 22-week study period, 147 caregivers were screened and 2 declined to participate. Thirty-four percent of caregivers endorsed ≥1 social need. The most common needs identified were depressive symptoms (23%), food insecurity (19%), and need for assistance with utilities (10%). All participants received information about the resource map, and 99% of caregivers with an identified need met with a social worker during their admission. CONCLUSIONS: Using quality improvement methodology and technology, the team implemented a new standardized process for addressing social needs on an inpatient unit. This led to identification of social needs in more than one-third of caregivers screened and provision of resource map information to all caregivers. These findings reinforce the importance of standardized assessment of social needs in the pediatric inpatient setting. The role of technology, including resource maps and electronic health record enhancements, was highlighted.

Improving Child Behaviors and Parental Stress: A Randomized Trial of Child Adult Relationship Enhancement in Primary Care.

BACKGROUND: Prior single-site evaluations of Child Adult Relationship Enhancement in Primary Care (PriCARE), a 6-session group parent training, demonstrated reductions in child behavioral problems and improvements in positive parenting attitudes. OBJECTIVE: To measure the impact of PriCARE on disruptive child behaviors, parenting stress, and parenting attitudes in a multisite study. METHODS: Caregivers of children 2- to 6-year-old with behavior concerns recruited from 4 pediatric primary care practices were randomized 2:1 to PriCARE intervention (n = 119) or waitlist control (n = 55). Seventy-nine percent of caregivers identified as Black and 59% had annual household incomes under $22,000. Child behavior, parenting stress, and parenting attitudes were measured at baseline and 2 to 3 months after intervention using the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, Parenting Stress Index, and Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory-2. Marginal standardization implemented in a linear regression compared mean change scores from baseline to follow-up by treatment arm while accounting for clustering by site. RESULTS: Mean change scores from baseline to follow-up demonstrated greater improvements (decreases) in Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory problem scores but not intensity scores in the PriCARE arm compared to control, (problem: -4.4 [-7.5, -1.2] vs -1.8 [-4.1, 0.4], P= .004; intensity: -17.6 [-28.3, -6.9] vs -10.4 [-18.1, -2.6], P= .255). Decreases in parenting stress were greater in the PriCARE arm compared to control (-3.3 [-4.3, -2.3] vs 0 [-2.5, 2.5], P= .025). Parenting attitudes showed no significant changes (all P> .10). CONCLUSIONS: PriCARE showed promise in improving parental perceptions of the severity of child behaviors and decreasing parenting stress but did not have an observed impact on parenting attitudes.

The Impact of Child Sexual Abuse Discovery on Caregivers and Families: A Qualitative Study.

In this qualitative study with nonoffending caregivers of suspected child sexual abuse victims, we aimed to explore the perceived impact of sexual abuse discovery on caregivers and their families, and caregivers' attitudes about mental health services for themselves. We conducted semistructured, in-person interviews with 22 nonoffending caregivers of suspected sexual abuse victims <13 years old seen at a child advocacy center in Philadelphia. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed using modified grounded theory. Recruitment continued until thematic saturation was reached. We found that caregivers experienced significant emotional and psychological distress, characterized by anger, depressed mood, and guilt, after learning that their child may have been sexually abused. We identified four specific sources of caregiver distress: concerns about their child, negative beliefs about their parenting abilities, family members' actions and behaviors, and memories of their own past maltreatment experiences. Some caregivers described worsening family relationships after discovery of their child's sexual abuse, while others reported increased family cohesion. Finally, we found that most caregivers in this study believed that mental health services for themselves were necessary or beneficial to help them cope with the impact of their child's sexual abuse. These results highlight the need for professionals working with families affected by sexual abuse to assess the emotional and psychological needs of nonoffending caregivers and offer mental health services. Helping caregivers link to mental health services, tailored to their unique needs after sexual abuse discovery, may be an acceptable strategy to improve caregiver and child outcomes after sexual abuse.

Health Care Utilization for Children in Foster Care.

OBJECTIVE: To utilize hospital EMR data for children placed in foster care (FC) and a matched control group to compare: 1) health care utilization rates for primary care, subspecialty care, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations; 2) overall charges per patient-year; and 3) prevalence of complex chronic conditions (CCC) and their effect on utilization. METHODS: Children ≤18 years old with a designation of FC placement and controls matched on age, race/ethnicity, gender, and zip code who had an encounter at an urban pediatric health system between 7/1/11 and 6/30/12 were identified in the EMR. Data on outpatient, ED, and inpatient encounters and charges for 7/1/12 to 6/30/13 were obtained. A general linear mixed-effects model was applied to estimate means and rates for each group. Analyses were repeated among the subpopulations of children with and without CCCs. RESULTS: A total of 1156 FC cases were matched to 4062 controls (mean = 3.5 controls/case). FC cases had significantly higher rates (per 100 patient-years) of hospitalizations (18.5 vs 12.7, P = .005), and subspecialty visits (173.3 vs 113.6; P < .001) but not ED (50.4 vs 45.2, P = .056) or primary care visits (154.6 vs 149.8; P = .50). FC cases had higher charges ($14,372 vs $7082; P < .001). Among children with CCCs, health care utilization rates and charges were higher among FC cases (all P < .001). Among children without CCC, rates and charges were similar for FC cases and controls (all P > .20). CONCLUSIONS: FC children utilized more hospitalizations and subspecialty office visits. The increased utilization rates and charges among children in FC were driven by the subset of children with CCCs.

Three-dimensional printed models of the rib cage in children with non-accidental injury as an effective visual-aid tool.

Three-dimensional (3-D) printing is gaining terrain in medical education, presurgical evaluation and recently as forensic evidence in court. Physicians, including radiologists, often provide expert testimony in court cases involving children with rib fractures and other injuries concerning for child physical abuse. Effectively communicating the complexities of fractures and other skeletal findings to nonmedical personnel using standard radiology studies can be challenging, especially during medical courtroom testimony. For this reason, we printed two 3-D models of the rib cage from the chest computed tomography (CT) scans of two patients with suspected non-accidental injury. The patients also had available chest radiographs. The DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) data were 3-D reconstructed and segmented using two attenuation thresholds. We removed unwanted structures and printed them on a commercially available scanner. A pediatric radiologist, blinded to clinical data, reviewed both 3-D models, identified all rib lesions and classified them according to their healing stage. We compared the 3-D models and the chest radiograph against the chest CT as the standard of care. We convened a meeting with the Child Protection Team at out institution to get their feedback and opinions about the models. From our observations of our experts, three spontaneous interactions were observed. Instinctively, the experts picked up and grasped the models, rotating them, feeling them and angling them to better visualize the fractures from multiple angles. The experts expressed a willingness to consider using the models in court.

Pediatric Emergency Department and Primary Care Provider Attitudes on Assessing Childhood Adversity.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to understand pediatric emergency department (ED) and primary care (PC) health care provider attitudes and beliefs regarding the intersection between childhood adversities and health care. METHODS: We conducted in-depth, semistructured interviews in 2 settings (ED and PC) within an urban health care system. Purposive sampling was used to balance the sample among 3 health care provider roles. Interview questions were based on a modified health beliefs model exploring the "readiness to act" among providers. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded. Interviews continued until theme saturation was reached. RESULTS: Saturation was achieved after 26 ED and 19 PC interviews. Emergency department/primary care providers were similar in their perception of patient susceptibility to childhood adversity. Childhood mental health problems were the most frequently referenced adverse outcome, followed by poor childhood physical health. Adult health outcomes because of childhood adversity were rarely mentioned. Many providers felt that knowing about childhood adversity in the medical setting was important because it relates to provision of tangible resources. There were mixed opinions about whether or not pediatric health care providers should be identifying childhood adversities at all. CONCLUSIONS: Although providers exhibited knowledge about childhood adversity, the perceived effect on health was only immediate and tangible. The effect of childhood adversity on lifelong health and the responsibility and potential accountability health systems have in addressing these important health determinants was not recognized by many respondents in our study. Addressing these provider perspectives will be a critical component of successful transformation toward more accountable health care delivery systems.

Quality Improvement Initiative to Improve Abuse Screening Among Infants With Extremity Fractures.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of clinical pathway implementation and quality improvement (QI) interventions to increase the percentage of infants with extremity fractures undergoing evaluation for suspected physical abuse, including skeletal survey (SS), and consultation with social work, and/or Child Protection Team. METHODS: Charts were retrospectively reviewed to establish percentage of infants less than 12 months old with extremity fractures undergoing an SS and consultation during the prepathway (January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013) and postpathway (January 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015) periods. Using an Ishikawa framework, key process drivers were identified and additional QI interventions (clinical decision support and provider education) were developed and implemented. Impact of QI interventions on study metrics during active QI (July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016) and post-QI periods (July 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016) was monitored using statistical process control charts. Logistic regression assessed predictors of obtaining an SS, consultation use, and occult fracture detection. RESULTS: Skeletal survey use pre- and postpathway averaged 40%, surpassing 60% on average during active QI and post-QI periods. Consultation performance averaged 46% pre- and postpathway, increasing to nearly 67% during active QI; consultation performance decreased during post-QI to 60%. A lack of trauma history and presence of femur or humerus fracture were associated with increased SS use and consultation (both P < 0.001). Overall 20% of SS revealed occult fractures.

Laboratory Screening for Children Entering Foster Care.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of medical illness detected by laboratory screening in children entering foster care in a single, urban county. METHODS: All children entering foster care in a single county in Ohio were seen at a consultation foster care clinic and had laboratory screening, including testing for infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, and tuberculosis as well as for hemoglobin and lead levels. RESULTS: Over a 3-year period (2012-2015), laboratory screening was performed on 1977 subjects entering foster care in a consultative foster care clinic. The prevalence of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, and tuberculosis were all found to be <1%. There were no cases of HIV. Seven percent of teenagers entering foster care tested positive for Chlamydia. A secondary finding was that 54% of subjects were hepatitis B surface antibody-negative, indicating an absence of detected immunity to the hepatitis B virus. CONCLUSIONS: Routine laboratory screening for children entering foster care resulted in a low yield. Targeted, rather than routine, laboratory screening may be a more clinically meaningful approach for children entering foster care.

A child abuse research network: Now what?

As foundational work in preparation for a sustainable, multi-center network devoted to child abuse medical research, we recently used a combination of survey and modified Delphi methodologies to determine research priorities for future multi-center studies. Avoiding missed diagnoses, and improving selected/indicated prevention were the topics rated most highly in terms of research priority. Several constructive commentaries in this issue identify the key challenges which must be overcome to ensure a successful network. Indeed, as with the clinical work of child abuse pediatrics, a scientific network will also require constant collaboration within and outside the community of child abuse pediatricians, the wider medical community, and even non-medical professions.

Improving HIV post-exposure prophylaxis rates after pediatric acute sexual assault.

The purpose of our study was to increase the rate of children with appropriate HIV-PEP regimens among those diagnosed with sexual assault in The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Emergency Department (ED). The outcome measure was the percent of patients receiving correct HIV-PEP. We retrospectively reviewed 97 charts over 31 months to define the baseline rate of children receiving appropriate HIV-PEP regimens (pre QI-implementation period: 2/2012-8/2014). Among children in which HIV-PEP was indicated following sexual assault, 40% received the recommended 28-day course. Root cause analysis indicated prescribing errors accounted for 87% of patients not receiving appropriate HIV-PEP. Process drivers included standardizing care coordination follow-up calls to elicit specific information about HIV-PEP, ED educational initiatives targeted at HIV-PEP prescribing, revision of the clinical pathway to specify indicated duration of HIV-PEP, and revision of the order set to auto-populate the number of days for the HIV-PEP prescription. During the QI-implementation period (9/2014-4/2015), the rate of appropriate HIV-PEP increased to 64% (median 60%) and the average number of days between incorrect HIV-PEP regimens was 24.5. Post QI-implementation (5/2015-3/2016), the rate of appropriate HIV-PEP increased to 84% (median 100%) and the average number of days between incorrect HIV-PEP regimens increased to 78.4. A multifaceted quality improvement process improved the rate of receipt of appropriate HIV-PEP regimens for pediatric victims of sexual assault. Decision support tools are instrumental in sustaining ideal care delivery, but require ongoing evaluation and improvement in order to remain optimally effective.

Research priorities for a multi-center child abuse pediatrics network - CAPNET.

Although child maltreatment medical research has benefited from several multi-center studies, the new specialty of child abuse pediatrics has not had a sustainable network capable of pursuing multiple, prospective, clinically-oriented studies. The Child Abuse Pediatrics Network (CAPNET) is a new multi-center research network dedicated to child maltreatment medical research. In order to establish a relevant, practical research agenda, we conducted a modified Delphi process to determine the topic areas with highest priority for such a network. Research questions were solicited from members of the Ray E. Helfer Society and study authors and were sorted into topic areas. These topic areas were rated for priority using iterative rounds of ratings and in-person meetings. The topics rated with the highest priority were missed diagnosis and selected/indicated prevention. This agenda can be used to target future multi-center child maltreatment medical research.

Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement in Primary Care (PriCARE): A Randomized Trial of a Parent Training for Child Behavior Problems.

OBJECTIVE: Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement in Primary Care (PriCARE) is a 6-session group parent training designed to teach positive parenting skills. Our objective was to measure PriCARE's impact on child behavior and parenting attitudes. METHODS: Parents of children 2 to 6 years old with behavior concerns were randomized to PriCARE (n = 80) or control (n = 40). Child behavior and parenting attitudes were measured at baseline (0 weeks), program completion (9 weeks), and 7 weeks after program completion (16 weeks) using the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) and the Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory 2 (AAPI2). Linear regression models compared mean ECBI and AAPI2 change scores from 0 to 16 weeks in the PriCARE and control groups, adjusted for baseline scores. RESULTS: Of those randomized to PriCARE, 43% attended 3 or more sessions. Decreases in mean ECBI intensity and problem scores between 0 and 16 weeks were greater in the PriCARE group, reflecting a larger improvement in behavior problems [intensity: -22 (-29, -16) vs -7 (-17, 2), P = .012; problem: -5 (-7, -4) vs -2 (-4, 0), P = .014]. Scores on 3 of the 5 AAPI2 subscales reflected greater improvements in parenting attitudes in the PriCARE group compared to control in the following areas: empathy toward children's needs [0.82 (0.51, 1.14) vs 0.25 (-0.19, 0.70), P = .04], corporal punishment [0.22 (0.00, 0.45) vs -0.30 (-0.61, 0.02), P = .009], and power and independence [0.37 (-0.02, 0.76) vs -0.64 (-1.19, -0.09), P = .003]. CONCLUSIONS: PriCARE shows promise in improving parent-reported child-behavior problems in preschool-aged children and increasing positive parenting attitudes.

Prior opportunities to identify abuse in children with abusive head trauma.

Infants with minor abusive injuries are at risk for more serious abusive injury, including abusive head trauma (AHT). Our study objective was to determine if children with AHT had prior opportunities to detect abuse and to describe the opportunities. All AHT cases from 7/1/2009 to 12/31/2011 at four tertiary care children's hospitals were included. A prior opportunity was defined as prior evaluation by either a medical or child protective services (CPS) professional when the symptoms and/or referral could be consistent with abuse but the diagnosis was not made and/or an alternate explanation was given and accepted. Two-hundred-thirty-two children with AHT were identified; median age (IQR) was 5.40 (3.30, 14.60) months. Ten percent (22/232) died. Of the 232 patients diagnosed with AHT, 31% (n=73) had a total of 120 prior opportunities. Fifty-nine children (25%) had at least one prior opportunity to identify abuse in a medical setting, representing 98 prior opportunities. An additional 14 (6%) children had 22 prior opportunities through previous CPS involvement. There were no differences between those with and without a prior opportunity based on age, gender, race, insurance, mortality, or institution. Children with prior opportunities in a medical setting were more likely to have chronic subdural hemorrhage (48 vs. 17%, p<0.01) and healing fractures (31 vs. 19%, p=0.05). The most common prior opportunities included vomiting 31.6% (38/120), prior CPS contact 20% (24/120), and bruising 11.7% (14/120). Improvements in earlier recognition of AHT and subsequent intervention might prevent additional injuries and reduce mortality.