Identifying Abuse-Related Bruises: We Can and Need to Do Better

Don’t miss an article in the January issue by Pierce et al. (doi: 10.1542/peds.2008-3632) which discriminates physical child abuse from accidental trauma on the basis of the bruising characteristics (number and location). The authors summarize their data with the derivation of a bruising clinical decision rule that carries a high sensitivity and specificity. You may want to utilize this rule in assessing bruises in your patients.