Risk for Child Maltreatment Among Infants Discharged From a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Sibling Comparison.

Studies suggest that neonatal illness may cause increased risk for child maltreatment (CM), but these findings may be biased by observed and unobserved confounding factors (social, family, and maternal characteristics) including increased surveillance by health care providers. This study expands on previous research by examining and controlling for these potential study biases and confounders using a sibling discordance retrospective cohort study design. Infants born in a Level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were matched with non-NICU born sibling controls.

U.S. child death review programs: assessing progress toward a standard review process.

Background: Child death review (CDR) programs examine the circumstances of children's deaths to gain information on how and why children die for the purpose of promoting the health, safety, and protection of children.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the 50 states and District of Columbia CDR programs, with specific focus on the use of standardized procedures and best-practice recommendations. This included assessment of which deaths are reviewed, the model of review, team membership, and standardization of data collection and reporting.