April 22, 2021

Hospital Admissions for Abusive Head Trauma at Children’s Hospitals During COVID-19

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Mental Health and Personal Impact

Keywords (Tags): children, mental health personal impact

• A retrospective analysis determined that the rate of abusive head trauma (AHT) had decreased substantially among children during the pandemic. AHT was used as a surrogate for child abuse, as the authors hypothesized that it would be more difficult for caregivers to forgo care than for non-life-threatening abuse. Mean monthly hospital admissions for AHT across 49 US hospitals were lower from March to September 2020 compared to the same period in 2017-2019. Of the 750 AHT-related admissions from March to September in 2017-2020, only 127 (16%) occurred in 2020. 

Maassel et al. (Apr 20, 2021). Hospital Admissions for Abusive Head Trauma at Children’s Hospitals During COVID-19. Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-050361