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The changing face of abuse cases in a pediatric intensive care unit: A single-center experience
Fatih Varol1, Ebru Sahin1, Busra Ozgunay2
1Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, Sancaktepe Sehit Prof. Dr. Ilhan Varank Training and Research Hospital, Health Science University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Insights
Child abuse and neglect are increasing, with emotional neglect affecting over half of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients. Healthcare professionals must vigilantly identify and prevent child abuse and neglect cases.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Child Health
- Intensive Care Medicine
Background:
- Child abuse and neglect cases have risen significantly in recent years.
- Pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) admit vulnerable children requiring close monitoring.
- Assessing child abuse and neglect in critically ill children is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of child abuse and neglect among patients admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 34 patients admitted to the PICU between August 2020 and March 2021.
- Data collection included clinical and demographic characteristics from the hospital information system (HIS).
- Extracted information encompassed comorbidities, mental status, affected systems, treatments, and outcomes.
Main Results:
- Emotional neglect was identified in 55.9% of patients, while physical neglect was present in 41.2%.
- Only one patient (2.9%) presented with physical abuse.
- The study included a near-equal distribution of male (44.1%) and female (55.9%) patients.
Conclusions:
- Cultural perceptions of neglect can vary, necessitating careful assessment.
- Inconsistent medical histories, delayed care, prior abuse history, or caretaker absence in PICU admissions warrant suspicion of abuse.
- Healthcare professionals need heightened awareness to prevent overlooking and recurrence of child abuse and neglect in the high-pressure PICU environment.
Background:
Due to the increase in abuse and neglect cases in recent years, the purpose of this study was to assess child abuse and neglect of patients who were hospitalized and followed up in our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
Methods:
A total of 34 abuse and neglect patients who were admitted to the PICU from August 2020 to March 2021 were included retrospectively in the study. Patients' clinical and demographic characteristics were obtained from our hospital's patient record system (HIS). Comorbidities and the mental status of the patients, affected systems, treatments, and outcomes were extracted.
Results:
In this study, 44.1% (n: 15) of the patients were male and 55.9% (n: 19) were female. Physical neglect such as foreign body aspiration, malnutrition, electrocution, drowning, traffic accident, and body collision was detected in 14 (41.2%) patients. Emotional neglect (taking drugs, alcohol, or suicide) was found in 19 (55.9%) of our patients. Only 1 (2.9%) patient presented with physical abuse.
Conclusions:
Perception of neglect varies among different cultures. Any infant or child who is admitted to the PICU with a history that is not consistent, a history of delay in seeking medical attention, a previous history of abuse or suspected abuse, or the absence of the primary caretaker at the appearance of illness should signal possible abuse. Health-care professionals should give more attention to these patients to prevent the overlooking and recurrence of neglect and abuse cases due to the intense work tempo in the PICU.
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