All parents could be shown baby shaking video

Dr Patrick Kelly

All new parents could be shown a graphic video showing the effects of severe shaking on a baby's body and brain, in an effort to cut child abuse.

The video is part of an education programme that child abuse experts want to introduce to end "shaken baby syndrome" and would be shown to parents before they are allowed to leave hospital.

The syndrome is responsible for as many as four infant deaths and 10 cases of severe brain damage each year, according to research released by Dr Patrick Kelly, a paediatrician at Auckland's Starship hospital and the clinical director of the country's only multi-agency centre investigating and treating child abuse and neglect.

The results of a three-year study were released yesterday as part of the country's first conference on shaken baby syndrome.

It showed there were up to 30 reported cases each year, though many more were thought to go unnoticed or unrecorded, Dr Kelly said.

The study also showed that the cost to the health industry was about $2.5 million annually.

"No one thinks that someone gets up in the morning and thinks 'I will shake my baby'," said Dr Kelly.

"It's people snapping under stress and there's little more stressful than a baby crying. We believe the study shows enough evidence of the benefits of starting a prevention initiative."

Dr Kelly is preparing a funding proposal to take to Government and private funding agencies.

He wants to introduce a US programme, customised for New Zealand, which has shown dramatic results and costs only about $10 per child.

It involves parents watching a video, reading a brochure and signing a "commitment statement" before they leave the hospital after giving birth.

The man behind that programme, US professor of neurosurgery Dr Mark Dias, was in Auckland for the conference and said it was a "pretty poignant and straightforward" video.

"It shows infants on ventilators and with all sorts of tubes coming out of them, it shows a child's grave and it shows parents talking about the effect on their baby and family lives."

Although the video has proved controversial, with "some parents refusing to watch it", since its introduction in Western New York State seven years ago, the incidence of shaken baby syndrome has dropped 50 per cent, according to Dr Dias.

It is now a legislative requirement in 10 states that hospitals offer to show the video.

Andrew Young, chief executive of the Starship Foundation, said addressing shaken baby syndrome was "crucially important".

The foundation was keen to see a funding proposal and education materials.

"This is the beginning of something that is hopefully going to have a profound effect and profound benefits," he said.

Although the dangers of shaking babies was addressed as part of the Well Child programme for new parents, this would be the first targeted project.

Pat Tuohy, the Ministry of Health's child heath chief adviser, said the ministry would seek talks with Dr Kelly in the next week about how to raise the profile of the syndrome and the practicalities of introducing a new programme.