Specialty Description
Child abuse pediatrics is a subspecialty of pediatrics that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of child abuse and neglect, collaboration with community agencies on child abuse prevention, provision of expertise in courts of law, and participation in multidisciplinary teams investigating and managing child abuse cases (1).
Child maltreatment includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, factitious illness (medical child abuse), neglect, and psychological/emotional abuse. Patient care occurs in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Child abuse pediatricians participate in multidisciplinary collaborative work within the medical, child welfare, law enforcement, and judicial arenas, as well as in a variety of community-based efforts. child abuse pediatricians are often called to provide expert testimony in the court systems. This field offers diverse opportunities for involvement and leadership roles in community, regional and national advocacy, and in prevention efforts and public policy (2).