Skip to main content

Advertising Disclaimer »

Main menu

  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Complete Issue PDF
    • Archive
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • Blog
  • Multimedia
    • Teaching Slides
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • CME/MOC
    • CME Quizzes
    • MOC Claiming
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers
  • Other Publications
    • American Academy of Pediatrics

User menu

  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
American Academy of Pediatrics

AAP Gateway

Advanced Search

AAP Logo

  • Log in
  • My Cart
  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Complete Issue PDF
    • Archive
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • Blog
  • Multimedia
    • Teaching Slides
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • CME/MOC
    • CME Quizzes
    • MOC Claiming
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers
American Academy of Pediatrics
Article

Medical Child Abuse and Medical Neglect

Carole Jenny and James B. Metz
Pediatrics in Review February 2020, 41 (2) 49-60; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/pir.2017-0302
Quiz
Carole Jenny
*Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
James B. Metz
†Department of Pediatrics, University of Vermont Children's Hospital, Burlington, VT
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Supplemental
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
  • Quiz
Loading

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Download PDF
  1. Carole Jenny, MD, MBA*
  2. James B. Metz, MD, MPH†
  1. *Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
  2. †Department of Pediatrics, University of Vermont Children's Hospital, Burlington, VT
  • AUTHOR DISCLOSURE

    Drs Jenny and Metz have disclosed no financial relationships relevant to this article. This commentary does not contain a discussion of an unapproved/investigative use of a commercial product/device.

  • Abbreviations:
    AAP:
    American Academy of Pediatrics
    CAM:
    complementary and alternative medicine
    CPS:
    Child Protective Services
    MCA:
    medical child abuse
    MSBP:
    Munchausen syndrome by proxy
  • Practice Gap

    Medical child abuse and medical neglect are part of a spectrum of conditions that can lead to significant morbidity and mortality in children. Recognition of these forms of child maltreatment is crucial to preventing harm. Medical personnel should have a familiarity with and a framework for diagnosing and treating these 2 entities.

    Objectives

    After completing this article, readers should be able to:

    1. Recognize medical child abuse and medical neglect in primary care practice.

    2. Know the options available to managing medical child abuse and medical neglect in primary care practice.

    3. Understand the parent factors, child factors, and physician factors contributing to medical neglect.

    4. Know when to report cases of medical abuse and medical neglect to Child Protective Services agencies.

    5. Know what other community resources can be helpful when dealing with medical abuse and medical neglect.

    Introduction

    In 1992, D. M. Eminson and R. J. Postlethwaite published an important paper discussing the range of parental behaviors when interacting with the medical care system. (1) On one end of the spectrum is medical child abuse (MCA) (previously referred to as Munchausen syndrome by proxy [MSBP]), wherein parents exaggerate, invent, or induce symptoms in their children and seek unnecessary medical care for them. On the other end of the spectrum is medical neglect, wherein parents either do not seek necessary care for their children or do not follow necessary instructions and medications that practitioners give them to treat illness. This behavior can put their children’s health at risk as well. In the middle of the spectrum are parents who respond appropriately to their children’s symptoms and seek medical care in a timely manner. Eminson and Postlethwaite …

    Individual Login

    Log in
    You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.

    Institutional Login

    via Institution

    You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your librarian or administrator if you do not have a username and password.

    Log in through your institution

    If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.

    Purchase access

    You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.

    Offer Reprints

    PreviousNext
    Back to top

    Advertising Disclaimer »

    In this issue

    Pediatrics in Review: 41 (2)
    Pediatrics in Review
    Vol. 41, Issue 2
    1 Feb 2020
    • Table of Contents
    • Table of Contents (PDF)
    • About the Cover
    • Index by author
    • Complete Issue (PDF)
    View this article with LENS
    PreviousNext
    Email Article

    Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Academy of Pediatrics.

    NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

    Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
    Medical Child Abuse and Medical Neglect
    (Your Name) has sent you a message from American Academy of Pediatrics
    (Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Academy of Pediatrics web site.
    CAPTCHA
    This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
    Request Permissions
    Article Alerts
    Log in
    You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.
    Or Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
    Citation Tools
    Medical Child Abuse and Medical Neglect
    Carole Jenny, James B. Metz
    Pediatrics in Review Feb 2020, 41 (2) 49-60; DOI: 10.1542/pir.2017-0302

    Citation Manager Formats

    • BibTeX
    • Bookends
    • EasyBib
    • EndNote (tagged)
    • EndNote 8 (xml)
    • Medlars
    • Mendeley
    • Papers
    • RefWorks Tagged
    • Ref Manager
    • RIS
    • Zotero
    Quiz
    Share
    Medical Child Abuse and Medical Neglect
    Carole Jenny, James B. Metz
    Pediatrics in Review Feb 2020, 41 (2) 49-60; DOI: 10.1542/pir.2017-0302
    del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
    Print
    Download PDF
    Insight Alerts
    • Table of Contents

    Jump to section

    • Article
      • Practice Gap
      • Objectives
      • Introduction
      • Medical Child Abuse
      • Medical Neglect
      • Conclusions
      • References
    • Figures & Data
    • Supplemental
    • Info & Metrics
    • Comments
    • Quiz

    Related Articles

    • PubMed
    • Google Scholar

    Cited By...

    • No citing articles found.
    • Google Scholar

    More in this TOC Section

    • Preparing Children for International Travel
    • Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Childhood and Adolescence
    • Ear Abnormalities
    Show more Articles

    Similar Articles

    Subjects

    • Child Abuse and Neglect
      • Child Abuse and Neglect
    • Journal Info
    • Editorial Board
    • ABP Content Specifications Map
    • Overview
    • Licensing Information
    • Authors
    • Author Guidelines
    • Submit My Manuscript
    • Librarians
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Usage Stats
    • Support
    • Contact Us
    • Subscribe
    • Resources
    • Media Kit
    • About
    • International Access
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Statement
    • FAQ
    • AAP.org
    • shopAAP
    • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Instagram
    • Visit American Academy of Pediatrics on Facebook
    • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Twitter
    • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Youtube
    American Academy of Pediatrics

    © 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics