Survey of practices for documenting evidence of bruises from physical abuse during child protection proceedings

Accurate recording of forensically important information on bruises is vital in child protection proceedings (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH)). An online survey was distributed to the RCPCH child protection committees to assess compliance with guidance. 56 individuals were cont...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMJ paediatrics open 2023-07, Vol.7 (1), p.e002047
Main Authors: Evans, Sam, Farnell, Damian J J, Carson-Stevens, Andy, Kemp, Alison
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
child abuse
Childrens health
Contusions
data collection
Injuries
Original Research Letter
Pediatrics
Polls & surveys
Software
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Summary:Accurate recording of forensically important information on bruises is vital in child protection proceedings (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH)). An online survey was distributed to the RCPCH child protection committees to assess compliance with guidance. 56 individuals were contacted by email, 47 (84%) completed the survey. Results showed that the paediatricians always record size (n=41; 87%), site (n=45; 96%), shape (n=32; 68%) and colour (n=36; 77%); n=10; 22% of the paediatricians stated that they ‘always’ used a ranking system for likelihood of abuse; n=12; 35% of those surveyed ‘sometimes’ estimated the size of the bruise. Results showed that paediatric bruise reporting is inconsistent and incomplete for some fields compared with national guidance.
ISSN:2399-9772
2399-9772
DOI:10.1136/bmjpo-2023-002047