Radiological Screening of Contact Cases in Child Abuse Is Greatly Underused

Background: Child abuse is reported every 10 seconds in the United States. There is a strong association between abuse in index cases, defined as a child with signs and/or symptoms of suspected physical abuse, and abuse in contact children. Over one-third of abuse cases will involve all children under the purview of the abuser, not just a single child. However, despite their increased risk of abuse, no good evidence currently available addresses how to screen contact children radiologically for abuse. Objective: To review and report a consensus statement on what radiological screening is necessary for contact children in cases of suspected physical abuse. Design: Systematic review of the literature and consensus opinion with at least 80% agreement. Methods: The study included 26 internationally recognized physician experts over 3 meetings between February 26, 2021, and June 11, 2021. Contact children are defined as asymptomatic siblings, cohabiting children, or children under the sam more...