EPIC-SCAN: Educating Physicians In Their Communities -- Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect

• NCJ Number: 208904
• Journal: Pennsylvania Progress Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Dated: July 2002 Pages: 1-8
• Author(s): Patrick Griffin; Norma Portnoy
• Date Published: July 2002
• Length: 8 pages
• Grant Number(s): 98-J-05-8576
• Agencies: OJJDP-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

This report describes Pennsylvania's continuing medical education program called EPIC-SCAN, which is designed to instruct the State's primary-care providers in signs of maltreatment in their child patients and in responding appropriately.

Abstract

The core of EPIC-SCAN is a standardized lecture/slide-show presentation that is intended for use primarily in doctors' offices, but it can also be presented at hospital staff meetings and in academic and other settings. A special version of the curriculum is being adapted for school nurses. EPIC-SCAN is presented by a team that consists of a local physician and a local child protective services representative; team members have volunteered to receive training in the curriculum. Topics addressed include definitions and incidence of child abuse; physician reporting responsibilities and procedures; risk factors for abuse; indicators of abuse; interviewing, examining, and testing for abuse; making the call about suspicions of abuse; and resources. The instruction intends to change practice behavior at the office level for everyone on the office team, including medical assistants, receptionists, and administrative and support staff. In addition to changing procedures at the office level, EPIC-SCAN also has the objective of forging direct links between primary medical-care offices and local child protective service agencies. Since October 1999, when the program started, through June 2002, EPIC-SCAN teams have delivered 241 presentations to 4,100 health-care professionals. Feedback from team members and participants has been good, and a formal evaluation of the program is underway. The evaluation methodology is described in this report. 11 notes