Child abuse/neglect data systems

Child abuse data system problems include vague definitions and separation by profession, geography and confidentiality. Data analysis is late for case manager but, we are improving. The Centers for Disease Control and American Academy of Pediatrics addressed definitions. The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, NCANDS, connects social service data from all states. Child Fatality Review Teams collect data from multiple professions. Public health data systems for death and injury reference abuse and neglect. Data on sexually transmitted disease including HIV and birth data may consider sexual abuse. The national health objectives include child abuse prevention. The tools of epidemiology and population study are used by multiple professions and mass media makes data studies a public interest. A California program will be presented that is mixing existing state health data with current data from case managers. Hospital discharge data includes ICD9CM codes on 31,103 injured children under age three hospitalized from 2003-2007 in 254 hospitals. That statewide data is used for program planning. Hospital data for 2009 on official child abuse/neglect reports is used to validate and focus ICD9CM codes that suggest abuse and neglect. Individual hospitals are more integrated internally and more connected to other hospitals. Data from that study will be presented with examples of changes in program and case management. Parallels will be drawn to the development and international spread of Child Death Review thirty years ago. Suggestions will be offered for application of lessons learned to other public health data systems.