How are Ohio Children’s Hospitals identifying sentinel injuries to reduce child fatalities?
Dr. Jonathan Thackeray from Dayton Children’s Hospital and Carrie Baker from the Ohio TRAIN Collaborative shared how research on sentinel injuries — relatively minor injuries that often precede severe physical abuse in in young children — and a new approach to building a culture of safety led to the creation of a collaborative that is improving statewide practice around pediatric assessments of injuries in infants and young children. They also discussed the importance of a systems-level response to child injuries and how medical and child welfare professionals can work together better to address child safety. This information was presented at a May 2018 convening hosted by Casey Family Programs, where child welfare leaders and experts came together to share innovative strategies designed to improve child safety and reduce child abuse and neglect fatalities.