What is the TeleHealth Institute for Child Maltreatment? The TeleHealth Institute for Child Maltreatment (THICM) is a non-profit organization that provides internet based educational and quality improvement services to medical providers who examine children for possible child sexual abuse.
Who may join THICM? Medical providers who examine children for concerns of sexual abuse are allowed to join the TeleHealth Institute for Child Maltreatment.
What can THICM do for me? THICM provides a quality improvement service that will help you measure your skills in interpreting genital and anal examination findings.
Why should I participate in THICM? Independent review of examination interpretation is recommended by the National Children's Alliance and by nationally recognized experts. This quality improvement exercise will provide you with independent feedback regarding your own diagnostic skills.
How do I participate in THICM quality improvement? You will upload genital and/or anal examination images to the THICM system. These images can be from recent or older examinations that you have conducted. Along with your examination interpretation, you will also type de-identified patient information into the system. After you have submitted a case, a THICM expert reviewer will provide you with feedback regarding the accuracy of your exam interpretation.
Is my case submission anonymous? Yes. The reviewers are blinded to your identity.
How many cases should I submit? We suggest you submit at least 10 cases; perhaps 3 normal and 7 abnormal exams.
Are some types of exam findings more useful than others for quality improvement purposes? Yes. Abnormal pre-pubertal and pubertal female genitalia and abnormal anal images provide the best review experience.
What if my exam images don’t show the exam findings very well? You should not upload non-diagnostic photographs.
Is this HIPAA compliant? Yes. You will not send patient identifying information.
What are the qualifications of the THICM experts? The expert reviewer has been identified for his or her expertise and experience in sexual abuse / sexual assault examination skills. If the expert finds significant disagreement with your opinion, two additional THICM experts will also review your images to determine if consensus exists. Only when consensus exists between 3 experts will a report of disagreement be sent to you.
Can I use THICM as a second opinion or consultation for my examinations? No. THICM is not to be utilized for "second opinions" or consultation.
Contact Information To learn more about the Institute, please contact the THICM at thicm @ childrensmn.org.
DISCLAIMER: TeleHealth Institute for Child Maltreatment (THICM) is a service to make child sexual abuse expertise available to all Child Advocacy Center medical providers throughout the United States regardless of location. The service is designed to provide reviews by an expert for educational and quality improvement purposes and is not intended to be used for initial diagnostic or treatment purposes or to serve as a second opinion for a specific case. This service is not a replacement for a consultation or to address issues related to a specific patient.
