The Canadian paediatric surveillance program: A framework for the timely data collection on head injury secondary to suspected child maltreatment

The extent and nature of head injury secondary to child maltreatment in Canada is inadequately understood. These cases, although reasonably rare, are of great clinical importance as a large proportion of them result in death or permanent neurologic deficits. Internationally, published incidence data may underestimate the extent of the problem because of the failure of professionals to recognize and report inflicted head injury. National data on head injury secondary to suspected child maltreatment can inform educational efforts for early detection, guide prevention strategies, and be a foundation for the development of policies and programs to effectively address the needs of victims and their families. The Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program is described as a system for active surveillance of uncommon high-impact conditions and is ideally suited to the collection of data on head injury secondary to child maltreatment.