Child Abuse Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Child Abuse, including details on family violence, examinations, long-term effects, psychiatrics disorders.

Diagnosis and interpretation of injuries: a study of Dutch general practitioners.

Reijnders UJ, van Baasbank MC, van der Wal G

Municipal Public Health Service, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ureijnders@gggd.amsterdam.nl

This study explores the ability of Dutch general practitioners (GPs) in recognising types of injury. In the three sample cases, 48-91% classified the injury correctly. Only 9% of GPs recognised self-harm injury and in the 3rd case (child abuse) only 15% referred to the improbability of the account given. Only 13% appeared able to assess two or three cases (almost) correctly. Recognition and description by Dutch GPs of these injuries is inadequate. This may have far-reaching consequences for the victims. The increasing incidence of cases of violence demands that more attention should be paid to the issue during both basic and specialist medical training.

Published 22 November 2005 in J Clin Forensic Med, 12(6): 291-5.
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