COLUMBIA, Mo., Feb 23, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- The majority of injuries to
U.S. children younger than age 15 are not the result of physical abuse but
unintentional injuries, researchers said.
Researchers at the University of Missouri and colleagues at Washington
University found young children with multiple injury-related emergency room
visits are more likely than children with only one visit to have been reported
to Child Protective Services.
"Not all children with multiple injury-related hospital emergency room visits
are victims of physical child abuse; physicians should consider the possibility
of inadequate supervision as a cause of multiple injuries in young children,"
Patricia Schnitzer said in a statement.
"When treating young children who have had medical treatment for multiple
injuries, physicians should seek information about previous injury-related
emergency room visits, and ask parents about supervision techniques, their
child's injuries and home environment. This information can help identify risk
factors for injuries, and determine if interventions are needed."
The researchers identified 50,000 Missouri children up to age 4 with at least
one injury-related emergency room visit in 2000. They found children with two or
more injury-related emergency room visits in one year are more likely to be
reported for child maltreatment compared to children with one injury-related
visit.
The study, published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine, found the risk of
having a Child Protective Services report increased from two-fold for children
with two emergency department visits to five-fold for children with four or more
visits.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International