Maatregelen om meer zicht te krijgen op onverklaard overlijden bij minderjarigen

- Child abuse can be overlooked as a cause of death, particularly in cases in which there is initially no known cause of death and the death remains unexplained. To rectify this serious situation, both the government and member of parliament Arib have developed proposals to amend the procedures found in the Burial and Cremation Act regarding the deaths of minors. The government hopes to promote closer post-mortem examination for those paediatric cases, including sudden infant death syndrome, in which the cause of death remains unexplained by requiring further investigation into the cause of death (the so-called NODO procedure). Arib proposed a bill in May 2006 that would require all deceased minors to be examined by a forensic expert. Arguments against the latter proposal include the unnecessary burden it would place on surviving relatives of children who die of clearly natural causes. At this time, the NODO procedure proposed by the government appears to be the more rational choice. At the same time, training for medical professionals, particularly general practitioners and paediatricians, should give ample attention to identifying injuries caused by child abuse and how best to deal with the parents.

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2007;151:284-6