Child Abuse Assessment: Principles, Tools and Best Practices

Pittsburgh, PA US
June 11, 2026

This presentation provides a comprehensive approach to the assessment of pediatric patients who have experienced physical abuse, with a specific focus on recognizing intentional burn injuries in non‑verbal children. Through a structured review of body systems and detailed case‑based scenarios, participants will learn to identify key injury patterns, clinical red flags, and behavioral indicators that differentiate accidental injuries from inflicted trauma. Special emphasis is placed on evaluating non‑verbal pediatric patients, who cannot describe the mechanism of injury, making objective assessment and pattern recognition essential for accurate diagnosis and timely intervention.

Target Audience

Nurses, case managers and Social Workers 

Learning Objectives

Accurately identify key burn patterns associated with intentional injury in non‑verbal pediatric patients, including immersion, contact, and patterned burns.

Perform a systematic body‑system assessment to recognize additional signs of physical abuse that may accompany burn injuries in infants and young children.

Differentiate accidental from inflicted burn injuries.

Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 ANCC
    UPMC Provider Unit is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation
  • 1.00 Attendance
Course opens: 
06/11/2026
Course expires: 
07/10/2026
Event starts: 
06/11/2026 - 11:00am EDT
Event ends: 
06/11/2026 - 12:00pm EDT
UPMC Mercy
1400 Locust Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
United States

Michelle Clayton MD, MPH,FAAP

Chief, Division of Child Advocacy 

Program Director, Child Abuse Pediatric Fellowship 

In support of improving patient care, the University of Pittsburgh is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

 The maximum number of hours awarded for this Continuing Nursing Education activity is 1.00 contact hours.

Other health care professionals will receive a certificate of attendance confirming the number of contact hours commensurate with the extent of participation in this activity.  

Available Credit

  • 1.00 ANCC
    UPMC Provider Unit is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation
  • 1.00 Attendance
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