Development and Feasibility Evaluation of a Swedish Screening Tool for Child Abuse and Neglect

ABSTRACT This study aimed to describe the translation and adaptation of the Dutch screening checklist for child abuse SPUTOVAMO‐R into a Swedish context and to evaluate the feasibility of the Swedish screening tool SUBFI in a Peadiatric Emergency Department in Sweden. The study was performed at the Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, Sweden, in 2017–2018; SPUTOVAMO‐R was translated and adapted to the Swedish context by three focus groups with 13 participants and an expert group. SUBFI, the Swedish version, was created, then tested in an 8‐week pilot study at the paediatric emergency department's paediatric nurse practitioner clinic, with a follow‐up feasibility evaluation. The focus groups stressed that a screening tool would provide structure and be helpful in decision‐making regarding child abuse and neglect, but the original design of SPUTOVAMO‐R required a cultural adaptation. The Swedish version, SUBFI, featured relevant questions for a Swedish setting. After using SUBFI in the pilot study, in which 377 children were screened, the nurses reported it to be adequately formulated and easy to use as a supportive tool, ensuring comprehensive evaluation of every child. SUBFI was experienced as a relevant and user‐friendly tool supporting structured assessment of suspected child abuse in Swedish paediatric emergency care. The findings support its clinical value and indicate a need for broader implementation and research.