PARENTAL PERCEPTIONS, RISKS, AND INCIDENCE OF PEDIATRIC UNINTENTIONAL INJURIES

Hogan CM, Weaver NL, Cionie C, Fry J, Hamilton A, Thompson S. J Emerg Nurs. 2018;44(3):267-273.

The authors state more than 9000 children die annually of unintentional injuries, and there are health education programs available to address those injuries and prevention. Researchers wanted to examine the distribution of self-reported high-risk injuries in an urban city. In addition, the researchers in this retrospective analysis using secondary data from Safe 'n Sound (SNS), a pediatric emergency department, and data from the Missouri Department of Health sought to examine the relationship between parental injury perceptions and injury-prevention behaviors. The data were categorized and the variables were examined to compare with the data and patient-reported levels.

The researchers found with the SNS data that car crashes were identified as the highest risk related to incorrect use of car seats. They also found that the injuries most often seen in the pediatric emergency room and the injury most reported were related to falls. It was found that there were perceptions of parents who believed that their children getting injured was a matter of luck. Some of the participants also believed that the risk of having a pool injury was lower compared to those children who did not have a pool.

The researchers concluded that parental perceptions were significantly related to the risks of injury in children. Injury prevention programs aimed at decreasing injuries could focus on perceptions, and health communication information could be tailored to those perceptions. The authors also state that further research is needed to investigate whether the changes in perceptions could result in an increase in safety practices.