Scholarlink

Background <p>Emergency medical service (EMS) personnel may encounter suspected cases of child abuse and neglect, which may trigger uncertainty. Uncertainties in assessing indicators and determining necessary actions are particularly problematic during nighttime hours, when specialized services are difficult to reach.</p> Objective <p>This study examines typical challenges, emergency situations, and indicators of suspected child endangerment in 83&#xa0;evening and nighttime consultation cases handled by the Medical Child Protection Hotline.</p> Materials and methods <p>Calls from EMS professionals to the Child Protection Hotline between June&#xa0;1, 2017, and February&#xa0;17, 2025, during the period from 16:00 to 08:00 were analyzed. Data collection was standardized and conducted by consultants. Quantitative data were descriptively analyzed using SPSS (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), while qualitative content analysis was applied to free-text responses.</p> Results <p>Most calls occurred between 16:00 and 24:00 (37.1%). All forms of child endangerment were identified, with neglect being the most frequent (62.6%). Among 146&#xa0;documented indicators, the most common were poor living conditions, signs of caregiver substance abuse, conspicious behavior of caregivers, and physical abuse. In 47.0% of cases, a&#xa0;health problem of an adult was the reason for the emergency situation.</p> Conclusion <p>The frequent suspicion of neglect and physical abuse can be explained by the acute setting with direct insight into the living conditions of a&#xa0;family. When single indicators are present, careful case evaluation is crucial, as multiple factors often combine into significant warning signs. For adult patients with children, assessing the caregiving situation is essential. The wide range of situations highlights the need for continuous access to expert consultation.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Kinderschutznotfälle im Rettungsdienst

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年8月4日

查看全文
  • Tobias Heimann,
  • Marius Stickel,
  • Jörg M. Fegert,
  • Oliver Berthold

摘要

Background

Emergency medical service (EMS) personnel may encounter suspected cases of child abuse and neglect, which may trigger uncertainty. Uncertainties in assessing indicators and determining necessary actions are particularly problematic during nighttime hours, when specialized services are difficult to reach.

Objective

This study examines typical challenges, emergency situations, and indicators of suspected child endangerment in 83 evening and nighttime consultation cases handled by the Medical Child Protection Hotline.

Materials and methods

Calls from EMS professionals to the Child Protection Hotline between June 1, 2017, and February 17, 2025, during the period from 16:00 to 08:00 were analyzed. Data collection was standardized and conducted by consultants. Quantitative data were descriptively analyzed using SPSS (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), while qualitative content analysis was applied to free-text responses.

Results

Most calls occurred between 16:00 and 24:00 (37.1%). All forms of child endangerment were identified, with neglect being the most frequent (62.6%). Among 146 documented indicators, the most common were poor living conditions, signs of caregiver substance abuse, conspicious behavior of caregivers, and physical abuse. In 47.0% of cases, a health problem of an adult was the reason for the emergency situation.

Conclusion

The frequent suspicion of neglect and physical abuse can be explained by the acute setting with direct insight into the living conditions of a family. When single indicators are present, careful case evaluation is crucial, as multiple factors often combine into significant warning signs. For adult patients with children, assessing the caregiving situation is essential. The wide range of situations highlights the need for continuous access to expert consultation.