The physician's duty to report the battered child syndrome.

All US jurisdictions require that physicians file formal reports of suspected cases of child abuse and/or child neglect. Most states expressly grant civil immunity from lawsuits to all reporting physicians. The physician who fails to file such a report will be exposed to civil liability for professional malpractice when failure to report leads to continued child abuse. At least 37 states provide for criminal penalties for physicians who fail to report battered children. This paper examines procedures for minimal compliance with any state's reporting statute and details the precise reporting procedure for each US jurisdiction.