Accidents Waiting to Happen: A Review of Unintentional Household Injuries in Children.

Abstract

1. Erin P. O’Donnell, MD* 2. Therese L. Canares, MD* 1. *Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD * Abbreviations: AAP : : American Academy of Pediatrics ASK : : Asking Saves Kids ASSB : : accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed BRUE : : brief resolved unexplained event CDC : : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CPR : : cardiopulmonary resuscitation ED : : emergency department LDP : : laundry detergent pod SIDS : : sudden infant death syndrome After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Describe how unintentional injuries affect the morbidity and mortality of children and adolescents. 2. Recognize risk factors and behaviors associated with unintentional household injuries. 3. Identify effective prevention strategies for the most common unintentional household injuries. 4. Apply learned information when discussing preventive measures to caregivers in an office-based setting. Unintentional injuries remain a crucial public health concern as they persist as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in US children. Greatly surpassing congenital anomalies, malignancy, and suicide as leading causes of death, unintentional injuries claim the lives of 12,000 children and adolescents each year. Even more, more than 9.2 million children are treated in emergency departments (EDs) for nonfatal injuries. (1) In recent years, health-care has shifted its focus to preventive care. With a significant economic burden attributable to medical care for fatal and nonfatal injuries, health-care providers have an increased responsibility to address injury prevention. Factors within one’s physical and social environment act as key drivers affecting health, and this applies particularly to unintentional home injuries. Whereas injury prevention experts use advocacy as their primary tool, providers have a unique opportunity to provide specific education about prevention. For children and adolescents, pediatricians play an essential role in informing caregivers about age-appropriate risks and potential hazards for children in the home. By providing this information along with guidance on safety practices, providers can contribute to the reduction of unintentional …