For Infants With Fractures Involvement of a Child Protection Team Is Mandatory With Few Exceptions

Objective The objective of this study was to compare the frequency at which abuse is detected in institutions with mandatory skeletal surveys for infants with fractures to that in institutions with discretionary referral to child protection teams (CPTs). Methods A retrospective chart review of all infants with fractures diagnosed at an emergency department from 2014 to 2018 was conducted to analyze factors leading to a discretionary referral to CPTs and to identify the frequency of nonaccidental trauma. Results Seventy-two infants with a median age of 6 months were included in this study. The most frequent fracture site was the skull (73.6%), followed by fractures of the femur (12.5%) and the upper arm and forearm (each 4.2%). Discretionary referral to a CPT occurred in only 25% of cases, and abuse was detected in 2.8%. Conclusions The abuse detection rate in institutions with discretionary CPT referral is lower than that in institutions with mandatory skeletal surveys. Therefore, we recommend that in institutions with no mandatory skeletal surveys for infants with fractures, every infant with a fracture must be discussed with a CPT.

Automated summary

This study compared the frequency of abuse detection in institutions with mandatory skeletal surveys for infants with fractures to that in institutions with discretionary referral to child protection teams. The results showed that the abuse detection rate is lower in institutions with discretionary referral to child protection teams.