(WBBM NEWSRADIO) --April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and doctors at Lurie Children's Hospital are hoping a new app will help save lives.
Bruising caused by physical abuse can commonly be overlooked or misdiagnosed as accidental, according to a study cited by Lurie Children's.
That prompted the hospital's Dr. Mary Clyde-Pierce to create an app she hopes will help healthcare professionals identify and prevent high-risk cases of child abuse.
“We need to look at bruising in terms of risk," she explained.
"Our new app, LCAST, helps clinicians identify high-risk cases that warrant evaluation for child abuse. This is critical, since abuse tends to escalate, and earlier recognition can save children’s lives.”
The Lurie Children's Child Injury Plausibility Assessment Support Tool or LCAST features a 3-D rotating model of a child that allows users to click on body parts where bruises are located and answer questions about other signs and symptoms to help determine if abuse or accident is more likely the cause of the bruising.
Related
Listen to our new podcast Courier Pigeon
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!