Child Abuse and Neglect: The Role of the Primary Care Pediatrician.

Child abuse affects more than 10% of children in the United States. For most children it is the result of family dysfunction. Child abuse affects children from all socioeconomic classes. Pediatricians have an important role to play in prevention and early detection of abuse. There are sentinel injuries, now summarized as Clinical Prediction Rules that can guide the general pediatrician to take more definitive steps to suspect and report child abuse and neglect. Primary prevention should be part of the anticipatory guidance and support that pediatricians provide to all of their families.