Faculty Bibliography

Child neglect is a toxic stress with harmful outcomes. It is the most prevalent form of child maltreatment with continued trends for underreporting due to a lack of a widely accepted definition. Given this reality, pediatric clinicians may rely on subjective thresholds for its diagnosis. There are risk factors for neglect countered by protective factors that builds resilience in families. Pediatric clinicians are positioned to prevent neglect through their relationships with families across the life span. Currently, there are evidence-based screening tools available to ensure the skillful differentiation between the signs and symptoms attributable to neglect versus poverty.

While patients may be recognized in the Emergency Department as patients who are involved in human trafficking, the ICU setting may also be a place where recognition can occur due to poor access to medical care. The childhood adversity experienced by trafficked youth may result in poor mental health and neglect of chronic medical conditions. These health needs as well as issues with substance abuse may also be neglected and exacerbated due to involvement in human trafficking. The purpose of this case series is to enhance recognition of pediatric victims of human trafficking among health-care providers working in the Pediatric ICU (PICU) setting. We present three cases where human trafficking should be considered while caring for patients due to severe presentations of underlying medical conditions in the PICU.