Review of the Literature on Child Protection and Domestic Violence Electronic Medical Record Alerts

Abstract

The aim of this systematic literature review was to identify peer‐reviewed publications on the use and/or evaluation of child protection or domestic violence alerts in electronic medical records. A systematic literature search yielded 751 results, with four articles retained for review. Two articles related to the Child Protection – Information Sharing electronic medical record alert system in England and two articles described a clinical decision‐support alert operating in the background of an electronic medical record system in the emergency department of the Pittsburgh Children's Hospital, Pennsylvania, USA. No articles were identified that described domestic violence electronic medical record alert systems. Child protection electronic medical record alert systems are operating in healthcare facilities in several countries. However, despite their promise in terms of improving healthcare and service coordination for children and their families, research testing the efficacy of these systems is limited. ‘Identif[ies] peer‐reviewed publications on the use and/or evaluation of child protection or domestic violence alerts in electronic medical records’ Key Practitioner Messages Child protection alerts in electronic medical records are used in a number of countries. No published examples of the use of domestic violence alerts in electronic medical records could be found. Alerts on linked electronic medical records can convey standardised, current, clinically significant information to a multitude of clinicians across several health services at once. Two evaluation studies of a child protection electronic medical record alert system were found; therefore, more evaluation studies are required.

Vulnerable Children and Early Intervention – What about Health Visiting?

“…The next paper by Rosemaria Flaherty from the Northern NSW Local Health District and colleagues from the University of South Australia (Flaherty et al, 2021) also has a DV theme, and reports on a systematic review of the literature on child protection and DV alerts used in electronic 'There were … situations where a child or young person might want early help but his or her mother does not agree to it' medical records (eMR). The authors sought to identify from the existing literature the extent to which eMR alerts exist and have been evaluated for flagging up concerns around DV and child abuse and neglect.…”