Physical Abuse May 2023-Physical Abuse May 2023

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The video is a presentation on physical abuse, given by Gail Horner, a forensic nursing specialist with the International Association of Forensic Nurses. The presentation covers the historical indicators and features of physical abuse, diagnostic testing for children with specific injuries, reporting concerns to Child Protective Services, and the consequences of physical abuse. Gail emphasizes the importance of assessing families for risk factors and protective factors related to physical abuse. She discusses the epidemiology of child maltreatment and physical abuse, as well as the long-term consequences of physical abuse, including heart disease, liver disease, diabetes, and mental health conditions. Gail explains the impact of toxic stress on the developing brain and the physiological dysregulation it can cause. She also explores the mammalian stress response and the two systems of response: acute stress response and chronic stress response, explaining how chronic stress can become toxic. Gail provides information on various types of injuries associated with physical abuse, including bruising, bites marks, burns, intraoral injuries, fractures, abdominal trauma, and abusive head trauma. She highlights the importance of obtaining a comprehensive medical history, conducting a physical exam, and interpreting various findings to determine if there are concerns for physical abuse. Gail also discusses the differential diagnosis for injuries and when a physical abuse workup is recommended. She emphasizes the need for reporting suspicions of physical abuse to Child Protective Services and provides a case study to apply the concepts discussed. The presentation concludes with a list of references for further reading.

Keywords

physical abuse

Gail Horner

forensic nursing

diagnostic testing

Child Protective Services

consequences

risk factors

toxic stress

types of injuries

differential diagnosis

case study