During Phase 1 of Stop, Look and Listen: Separating Fact from Fiction in Evaluating Cases of Child Abuse: An Interactive Learning Tool for Pediatricians, L.A. Bruell, Inc., in collaboration with Mount Sinai School of Medicine will develop a prototype online learning tool with the specific aims of enhancing the skills of office-based pediatricians in identifying physical abuse, increasing professional confidence in reporting cases of physical abuse, fostering better collaboration with child protection services, and ultimately protecting the child. Based on the findings of the Child Abuse Recognition Experience Study (CARES), the desired outcome of this project is to increase the rate of reporting of cases of child abuse that are likely or highly suspicious. """"""""Reasonable cause,"""""""" the current standard used for reporting, is open to wide interpretation. The decision of whether or not to report suspected child abuse is a complex and critical one for clinicians. Through the use of this online tool clinicians will be able to simulate this vital decision-making process in the safe environment of self-directed learning with the potential for transformative behavior change. This long-term objective is concordant with the mission of the NIH, particularly the NICHD, to ensure """"""""...that all children have the chance to achieve their full potential for healthy and productive lives."""""""" The objectives of Stop, Look and Listen are the following: 1. To develop a sample of cases from which two prototypes may be built exemplifying key decision points in the diagnosis and reporting of child suspected physical abuse 2. To develop an interactive script to guide prototype development 3. To construct the Stop, Look and Listen prototype 4. To test the Stop, Look and Listen prototype in a small sample of practicing pediatricians from three pediatric research networks involved in the CARES project 5. To finalize the prototype based on the pilot testing.
""""""""Reasonable cause,"""""""" the current standard used for reporting, is open to wide interpretation. The decision of whether or not to report suspected child abuse is a complex and critical one for clinicians. Through the use of this online tool clinicians will be able to simulate this vital decision-making process in the safe environment of self-directed learning with the potential for transformative behavior change.
