Jennifer Stanfield , PA, a pediatric emergency medicine provider with over 21 years of experience, talks about the important topic of childhood physical abuse, focusing on non-accidental trauma (NAT). She explains that there were 3 million cases of child abuse reported in the U.S. in 2022 and shares tools like the TEN4 FACES-P rule to help spot sentinel injuries that could lead to more serious harm. Jen stresses how important it is to check carefully, follow clear steps, and treat every case fairly to keep kids safe. She also talks about how hard this work can be for doctors and advanced practice providers and gives tips to help them stay strong and caring while doing this important job.

State of TN NAT Guidelines:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zoVFx0Vah9magAEwy4uPpGvUWWFkbbcB/view?usp=drive_link

TN Child Abuse Hotline:

https://www.tn.gov/dcs/program-areas/child-safety/reporting/child-abuse.html

TEN4 FACES-P:

https://faceitabuse.org/ten4rule/

Imaging examples (bucket handle fracture, corner fracture, metaphyseal fractures):

https://wikem.org/wiki/Nonaccidental_trauma

References:

https://ct-aap.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Sheets.pdf

Resources:

Books on Trauma and Abuse:

A Place Called Home by David Ambrose

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Child Welfare Information Gateway: Offers resources and support for child abuse prevention. Visit the website.

National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).