Analysis of childhood physical violence cases presenting to the emergency department

Aim: To examine the demographic and epidemiological characteristics of children who were exposed to physical violence

Materials and methods:
The data of patients younger than 18 years old who admitted to the Emergency Medicine Clinic of a tertiary university hospital due to exposure to physical violence were retrospectively reviewed.

Results:

120 cases met the study criteria. The median age of the patients was 15 (4-18) years and 70.8% of them were male. The F / M ratio was 35/85. Emergency admissions due to physical exposure were made most frequently in July (n = 16 13.3%), and 57.5% of the presentations were made between 16: 00 and 23: 59. The most common injury site was the head (n = 39, 32.5%) followed by the extremities (n = 21, 17.5%). According to ISS levels, 87.5% of patients had minor injuries.

Conclusion:
Most of the pediatric forensic cases were male adolescents. Education a safe environment should be provided by taking protective measures to reduce the incidence of these cases, and awareness activities in which parents and children can participate effectively should be supported and expanded by social institutions.