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Chapter 27 - The radiologist's response to child abuse

from Section IV - Diagnostic imaging of abuse in societal context

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2015

By
Paul K. Kleinman
Edited by
Paul K. Kleinman
Paul K. Kleinman
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Paul K. Kleinman
Affiliation:
Children's Hospital Boston
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Summary

Scientific conclusions are subject to perpetual revision. Law, on the other hand, must resolve disputes finally and quickly.

Justice Harry BlackmanDaubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Incorporated.113 U.S. Supreme Court 2786 (1993) (1, 2)

Introduction

The traditional role of the diagnostic radiologist to supervise, evaluate, and reach conclusions regarding imaging examinations is generally performed with a sense of confidence, based on experience and a reasonable familiarity with the medical literature. When radiologists identify abnormalities in cases of suspected physical child abuse, they may be drawn from their relatively sheltered world of diagnostic imaging into a potentially daunting realm of child protection/welfare agents, law enforcement officers, and representatives of the courts (3–11). Because allegations of child abuse usually focus on the injured child's caretakers, the customary relationship between the radiologist and the patient's family may be fundamentally altered. In this sensitive area where a thorough and methodical imaging analysis is essential, the radiologist may be hampered by anxieties over involvement with societal institutions that function to protect the welfare of the child and to identify and prosecute individuals responsible for the injuries.

The three preceding chapters have described the societal context in which the radiologist dealing with cases of suspected child abuse must function. The goal has been to give factual information and guidance regarding the legalities in cases of alleged abuse. In this chapter, I would like to provide a personal perspective based on a career operating in this challenging arena. The opinions presented here reflect my own experiences and observations and are by no means applicable to all individuals and situations.

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Diagnostic Imaging of Child Abuse , pp. 658 - 664
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2015

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