Pediatr. praxi. 2026;27(4):262-268 | DOI: 10.36290/ped.2026.044
Analysis and assessment of physical child abuse symptoms and their evaluation: review article
- Ústav ošetřovatelství a porodní asistence, Lékařská fakulta, Ostravská univerzita, Ostrava
Aim: The aim of the study was to search for and to analyse available knowledge about the symptoms of physical child abuse, to map visible and hidden injuries caused by physical abuse, and to search for assessment tools to predict physical child abuse.
Methods: The systematic review included full-text reviews of primary research published in English language between 2010 and 2025. Both freely accessible and licensed databases BiblioMedica/Medvik, PubMed/Medline, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, CINAHL Plus with Full Text and EBSCO were used for the search.
Results: The literature review showed that over a period of fifteen years, a number of studies were published that dealt with the issue of physical child abuse. The results showed that warning signs of physical abuse may include hematomas in atypical locations on the body, symmetrical burns, multiple, healing fractures, or abusive head trauma. Assessment tools such as TEN-4-FACESp, SPUTOVAMO, PIBIS and PedHITSS have demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity and have proven to be suitable for further testing and application in clinical practice.
Conclusion: Early recognition of physical abuse symptoms is crucial for child protection. Despite growing awareness, cases of physical abuse of children continue to rise, often going unnoticed. Healthcare professionals play a particularly important role in prevention and early detection. Paediatric nurses should be prepared to recognize typical patterns of injury in children and be familiar with available assessment tools. It is necessary to identify and diagnose children at risk as quickly and effectively as possible and to involve a multidisciplinary team of experts in their care.
Keywords: children, physical abuse, CAN syndrome, assessment tools, non-accidental injuries.
Accepted: September 3, 2026; Published: September 17, 2026 Show citation
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