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Page 16
Journal of Public Health and Nutrition | Volume 2
July 05-06, 2019 | Paris, France
International Conference and Exhibition on
17th World Congress on
Probiotics, Nutrition and Functional Foods
Pediatrics and Nutrition
Joint Event
&
Notes:
As advocates for the wellbeing of children, pediatricians
play a vitally important and broad-ranging role in
recognising, assessing, managing and preventing child abuse
(whether physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse
or neglect). Fulfilling this role requires multidisciplinary
collaboration with child protective services, medical social
workers, nurses, psychologists and other professionals.
The pediatrician who works with victims of child abuse
needs skills in forensic interviewing, forensic examination,
medical report writing, and providing testimony in court.
Beyond treating physical injuries, the pediatrician also needs
to consider victims’ wellbeing holistically and long-term,
addressing mental wellness and future health risks from
adverse childhood experiences. The pediatrician may also be
called to play a leadership role in multidisciplinary teams; be
a passionate educator about child abuse to fellow doctors,
other professionals and the public; and help to shape national
(and international) policies and attitudes concerning the
safeguarding of children.
The pediatrician needs to have well-informed opinions
about controversies ranging from the significance of medical
findings (for example, retinal hemorrhages in abusive head
injury) to child safeguarding policies (where ensuring safety
and preserving families could be competing priorities). Our
beliefs and advocacy concerning the discipline of children
need to be evidence-based.
It is also essential to understand cultural contexts. Practices
regarded as abusive in one culture may be considered
acceptable in another. Regardless, if evidence of harm
is demonstrated, societal attitudes must shift. Some
jurisdictions have adopted an initial “harm minimisation”
approach toward possibly harmful practices that are deeply
ingrained in the culture of specific communities. Studies have
shown that public and professional attutudes do change with
time.
The speaker addresses these issues with insights from current
literature, the experience of KK Women’s and Children’s
Hospital (Singapore’s largest pediatric hospital, which
manages over 400 cases of alleged child abuse a year), and
a decade of personal experience in child abuse pediatrics and
pediatric emergency medicine.
Speaker Biography
Wong Choong Yi Peter , is a Senior Consultant in the Children’s Emergency
and Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect Team of KK Women’s and
Children’s Hospital. He has co-authored several textbook chapters and
peer-reviewed journal articles on child abuse pediatrics. His work in child
safeguarding and in pediatric emergency medicine has been recognized
through several national awards for service excellence and contribution to
public service. A passionate teacher, he is an Adjunct Assistant Professor
of Paediatrics in the National University of Singapore (NUS) Yong Loo
Lin School of Medicine; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Duke-NUS Medical
School; Adjuct Assistant Professor, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine;
and faculty member of 3 Residency Programs (Paediatrics, Emergency
Medicine, Family Medicine). He has been an invited speaker at several
international conferences, including the International Conference on
Emergency Medicine (ICEM) where he has also served as a track chair.
e:
Wong Choong Yi Peter
KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore
The Role of the paediatrician in child abuse: Challenges,
controversies and cultural contexts