Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

• Committee Chair Name & Credentials:
  Jason Jean, DNP, RN, FNP-BC
• Committee Member Name & Credentials:
  Melanie Lutenbacher, PhD, MSN, APRN, FAAN

DNP Project Abstract

Pediatric Symptom Checklist for Identifying At-Risk Children Evaluated for Sexual Abuse 

Purpose
Childhood sexual abuse occurs for one in four girls and one in 13 boys with a staggering 62% of children never disclosing their abuse. The purpose of this project was to test the pediatric symptom checklist (PSC) to identify at-risk patients who do not disclose sexual abuse that would benefit from a Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) referral to greater than the current rate of 0% in a three-week implementation period.

Methods
The Plan-Do-Study-Act framework was used to guide this quality improvement project.  A PSC that is used to assess for psychosocial problems was completed on patients between the ages of 4 to 17 who were suspected of childhood sexual abuse and did not disclose sexual abuse at the time of evaluation.

Results
During the three-week implementation period 11 children met criteria and completed the PSC, one had a positive score and was referred to TF-CBT, three had a negative score and were referred to TF-CBT due to clinical judgement, and seven had negative scores and were not referred to TF-CBT.

Implications for Practice
The PSC shows promise as a supportive tool for clinicians or an adjunct to clinical judgement that can help identify at-risk children who would benefit from TF-CBT.