Evaluation of child abuse reporting by physicians
F. T. Saulsbury and R. E. Campbell
There is little information concerning child abuse reporting by physicians.
The present study, a questionnaire survey, was therefore designed to
examine several aspects of child abuse reporting by practicing physicians
in Virginia. Physicians diagnosed few abused or neglected children in their
practices. More than 90% saw five or fewer cases, and 26% encountered no
abuse or neglect at all during the preceding year. Most physicians were
inclined to report all diagnosed cases of physical abuse (91%) and sexual
abuse (92%), but fewer reported all cases of physical neglect (58%),
emotional abuse (45%), or medical neglect (43%). The two most frequently
cited reasons for not reporting were (1) reluctance to report before you
are certain of the diagnosis of abuse or neglect; (2) the belief that you
can work with the family to solve the problem without outside intervention.
