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Abuse Might Be A More Frequent Cause Of Children’s Injuries, Experts Say

Conference Attendees Urged To Raise More Questions

By
Dr. Arne Graff
Dr. Arne Graff addresses participants in a child abuse conference in the Twin Ports. Danielle Kaeding/WPR

Doctors would like the medical community to be more aware of child abuse when diagnosing the cause of children’s injuries.

Health care professionals raised the issue during a child abuse conference in Twin Ports held this week.

Dr. Arne Graff, of the Mayo Child and Family Advocacy Program, said doctors tend to trust families when children need medical care.

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“It’s not that we want people to distrust,” said Graff. “We just want them to recognize when something doesn’t make sense for an injury, then you should at least ask yourself, ‘Is there a reason I should consider this being abusive and neglectful?’”

Mark Hudson, executive director for Midwest Regional Children’s Advocacy Center, said a detailed medical history can help pinpoint child abuse cases.

“Just making sure that we incorporate those basic medical principles into an evaluation when there’s concern for abuse,” said Hudson.

Graff said doctors should get all the old records of a child’s medical history because children might be taken to multiple clinics. He said it’s difficult to put a number to how many cases of child abuse they encounter.

“We just don’t know how much is getting missed and how much is going into ER and then going home or dies and doesn’t have a formal autopsy and really be identified as child abuse,” Graff said.

Hudson added that scalds, burns and bruises should get a second look from physicians, particularly in the youngest children.

One or both parents abused or neglected their children in roughly 620,000 cases documented nationwide in 2013, according to the most recent statistics from the Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health Services. Roughly 4,900 children in Wisconsin were victims of abuse and neglect in 2013, according to most recent numbers from the state.