Utility of a child abuse screening guideline in an urban pediatric emergency department.

Background: Previous studies have found racial and socioeconomic status bias in the way clinicians screen for and detect child abuse in patients presenting to the emergency department. We hypothesized that implementing a guideline for screening would attenuate this bias.

Methods: An algorithm for child abuse screening in patients younger than 1 year presenting with fractures was developed for a pediatric trauma center emergency department.

Hearing evaluation in pediatric patients treated at the hospital following head injury.

The purpose of this study was to assess the results of a hearing evaluation protocol among 130 pediatric patients with a head injury. Sixteen of these patients failed an audiology evaluation. Ten were thought to have failed based on congestion/middle ear dysfunction, while 6 patients had temporary or permanent hearing loss thought to be related to their injury.