The use of TeleCAM as a remote Web-based application for child maltreatment assessment, peer review, and case...

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Child Abuse Research
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Child abuse affects approximately 1 million children annually in the US, necessitating accurate diagnosis and legal intervention.
• Effective clinical assessment and legal documentation are crucial for child maltreatment cases.
• Remote collaboration among child protection providers can enhance assessment accuracy and efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel web-based application for the remote sharing of child maltreatment assessments.
• To evaluate the usability and user satisfaction of this application among medical personnel.
• To identify satisfaction differences between remote and urban healthcare providers.

Main Methods:

• Development of a web-based application for secure, remote sharing of child maltreatment assessment data.
• Usability data collection from medical personnel at three remote Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) and one urban tertiary children's hospital.
• Qualitative analysis of user feedback and statistical comparison of satisfaction levels.

Main Results:

• The web-based application was successfully deployed and utilized by medical personnel across multiple sites.
• Qualitative findings indicated generally positive user experiences with the remote sharing platform.
• Satisfaction levels varied between remote sites and their referral tertiary center, suggesting areas for improvement.

Conclusions:

• Web-based applications can facilitate effective remote collaboration in child maltreatment assessments.
• The developed tool shows promise for improving communication and data sharing among child protection providers.
• Further refinement based on user feedback is recommended to optimize the application for diverse healthcare settings.