OVERVIEW

Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma Course is organized by NurseCe4less.

Statement of Learning Need:
Detection of pediatric abusive head trauma can be very difficult and requires a high index of suspicion. There are some injuries that are diagnostic of pediatric abusive head trauma but in many cases the clinical presentation is non-specific, and unfortunately the diagnosis can be missed. The statistics, risk factors and clinical characteristics associated with pediatric abusive head trauma are necessary for health clinicians to understand in order to recognize the warning signs early on, to appropriately manage injuries, and to prevent such abuse from happening.

Course Purpose:
To provide health clinicians with an overview of the recognition, diagnosis and prevention of pediatric abusive head trauma.

Course Summary:
Pediatric abusive head trauma has a high rate of occurrence in the United States. It is a major cause of physical injury and death in children. Clinicians need to be aware of the risk factors and to be prepared to pursue a careful history and physical examination early in the evaluation period when care has been sought to avoid serious complications of injuries associated with pediatric abusive head trauma. Prevention strategies and support for parents to seek help to avoid pediatric abusive head trauma, such as the Period of PURPLE Crying program, are discussed.