Strategies for identifying child abuse by nurses in the community: scoping review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29352/mill0222e.45127Keywords:
child, preschool; child abuse; nurses, community healthAbstract
Introduction: Child maltreatment is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon with negative impacts on children's growth, development, health, and well-being. Nurses working with children in community settings have an increased responsibility for the early detection of risk factors, warning signs, and the reporting of children at risk.
Objective: To map scientific evidence on the strategies used by nurses in community settings to identify signs of maltreatment in children aged 0 to 5 years.
Methods: The review followed the methodology proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute and was reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR recommendations. The search was conducted in the EBSCO databases via the Portuguese Nurses Association (CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE Complete, Nursing & Allied Health Collection, Cochrane, Library Information Science & Technology Abstracts, MedicLatina), SCOPUS, and in the Open Access Scientific Repository of Portugal, between March 23 and 26, 2026. The Rayyan® software was used for the extraction and selection of studies.
Results: A total of 597 studies were identified, of which two were included in the analysis. Five strategies were recognized for identifying maltreatment: direct observation, indirect observation, interviews, document review, and the use of assessment tools.
Conclusion: Despite the existing strategies, gaps remain in specific training and in the systematization of nursing practices for detecting signs of child maltreatment. The results suggest the need for standardized protocols and ongoing training for nurses.
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