Nurses' intervention in identifying and reporting child abuse in a hospital setting
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29352/mill0221e.41369Keywords:
hospitalized child; child maltreatment; nursing interventionAbstract
Introduction: Child maltreatment is characterized as all forms of physical or psychological harm, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child's health, survival, development, or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust, or power (WHO & International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, 2006, p.9).
The 2020 annual report on statistics from the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV) reports that the average number of child victims of abuse in Portugal is 1,841 per year. Therefore, it is essential for nurses to intervene in detecting, referring, and intervening in cases of children at risk.
Objective: Identify the nursing interventions in the detection and reporting of child maltreatment in hospitalized children.
Methods: An integrative literature review was conducted, according to Whittemore & Knafl (2005), involving a search in CINAHL and MEDLINE databases, with an application of inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Results: Nursing interventions in the detection and reporting of child abuse are multifaceted, ranging from initial suspicion and detection to formal notification and appropriate referral.
Conclusion: With the implementation of strategies to detect and report suspected cases of child abuse, there is an increase in the number of children referred to organizations that promote the protection and rights of children, enhancing early detection that promotes child well-being and development.
Downloads
References
Altafim, E. R. P., Souza, M., Teixeira, L., Brum, D., & Velho, C. (2023). O cuidado integral e a parentalidade positiva na primeira infância. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/brazil/biblioteca
Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima (2021). Estatísticas APAV: Relatório anual 2020. https://l1nq.com/b0dNf
Barreto, M. da S., Arruda, G. O. de, Garcia-Vivar, C., & Marcon, S. S. (2017). Cuidado centrado na família em unidades emergenciais: Percepção de enfermeiros e médicos brasileiros. Escola Anna Nery Revista de Enfermagem, 21(2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.5935/1414-8145.20170042
Berchtold, M. B., Wüthrich, C., Garcia, D., Berger, S., & Löllgen, R. M. (2023). Nurses’ and physicians’ reported difficulties and enablers to recognising and reporting child abuse in Swiss paediatric emergency and paediatric surgery departments – an observational study. Swiss Medical Weekly, 153(40017), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.57187/smw.2023.40017
Carson, S. M. (2018). Implementation of a comprehensive program to improve child physical abuse screening and detection in the emergency department. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 44(6), 576–581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jen.2018.04.003
Cocco, M., Silva, E. B. da, Jahn, A. D. C., & Poll, A. D. S. (2010). Violência contra crianças e adolescentes: estratégias de cuidado adotadas por profissionais de saúde. Ciência, Cuidado e Saúde, 9(2), 292–300. https://doi.org/10.4025/cienccuidsaude.v9i2.8061
Direção-Geral da Saúde. (2011). Maus tratos em crianças e jovens - Guia prático de abordagem, diagnóstico e intervenção. Ordem dos Enfermeiros. https://l1nq.com/GF5xY
Hassan, M. A., Gary, F. A., Lewin, L., Killion, C., & Totten, V. (2021). Age-related child sexual abuse experiences. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 43(5), 425–430. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945920958723
Hockenberry, M. J., Duffy, E. A., & DiValerio Gibbs, K. (2024). Wong’s Nursing Care of Infants and Children (12ª ed.). Elsevier.
Hockenberry, M. J. (2024). Family, social, cultural, and religious influences on child health promotion. In M. J. Hockenberry, E. A. Duffy, & K. D. Gibbs (Eds.), Wong’s nursing care of infants and children (12aª ed., pp. 14–35). Elsevier.
Hollen, L., Bennett, V., Nuttall, D., Emond, A. M., & Kemp, A. (2021). Evaluation of the efficacy and impact of a clinical prediction tool to identify maltreatment associated with children’s burns. BMJ Paediatrics Open, 5(1), e000796. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2020-000796
Instituto de Apoio à Criança. (1988). Carta da criança hospitalizada. Ordem dos Enfermeiros. https://l1nq.com/lrCJS
Jordan, K. S., & Moore-Nadler, M. (2014). Children at risk of maltreatment: Identification and intervention in the emergency department. Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal, 36(1), 97–106. https://doi.org/10.1097/TME.0000000000000011
Lawson, T. (2022). Betty Neuman: Sistem model. In M. R. Alligood (Ed.), Nursing theorists and their work (10a ed, pp. 249–264). Elsevier.
Leetch, A. N., Leipsic, J., & Woolridge, D. P. (2015). Evaluation of child maltreatment in the emergency department setting: An overview for behavioral health providers. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 24(1), 41–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2014.09.006%0Achildpsych.theclinics.com
Louwers, E. C. F. M., Korfage, I. J., Affourtit, M. J., Scheewe, D. J. H., Van De Merwe, M. H., Vooijs-Moulaert, A. F. S. R., Van Den Elzen, A. P. M., Jongejan, M. H. T. M., Ruige, M., Manaï, B. H. A. N., Looman, C. W. N., Bosschaart, A. N., Teeuw, A. H., Moll, H. A., & De Koning, H. J. (2012). Effects of systematic screening and detection of child abuse in emergency departments. Pediatrics, 130(3), 457–464. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-3527
McTavish, J. R., Gonzalez, A., Santesso, N., MacGregor, J. C. D., McKee, C., & MacMillan, H. L. (2020). Identifying children exposed to maltreatment: A systematic review update. BMC Pediatrics, 20(113), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-020-2015-4
Ordem dos Enfermeiros. (2021). Maus-tratos tratos crianças e jovens. Em defesa dos mais frágeis. https://sl1nk.com/DoAm2
UNICEF. (2019). Convenção sobre os direitos da criança e protocolos facultativos. https://l1nq.com/UNylv
Whittemore, R. & Knafl, K. (2005). The integrative review: Updated methodology. Journal of Advanced Nursing 52(5), 546–553. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2005.03621.x
World Health Organization, & International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. (2006). Preventing child maltreatment: A guide to taking action and generating evidence. https://sl1nk.com/2d0Am
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Millenium - Journal of Education, Technologies, and Health
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who submit proposals for this journal agree to the following terms:
a) Articles are published under the Licença Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), in full open-access, without any cost or fees of any kind to the author or the reader;
b) The authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication, allowing the free sharing of work, provided it is correctly attributed the authorship and initial publication in this journal;
c) The authors are permitted to take on additional contracts separately for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (eg, post it to an institutional repository or as a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal;
d) Authors are permitted and encouraged to publish and distribute their work online (eg, in institutional repositories or on their website) as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as increase the impact and citation of published work
Documents required for submission
Article template (Editable format)
