Saving Lives the Easy Way: Pediatric Injury Prevention Strategies for Emergency Nurses

Abstract

Traumatic injury is the leading cause of death and disability in children after infancy (aged >1 year). 1 National Center for Injury Prevention and Control http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/ Google Scholar In fact, more children die each year from traumatic injuries than from all other causes of death combined. 2 Philippakis A Hemenway D Alexe DM Dessypris N Spyridopoulos T Petridou E A quantification of preventable unintentional childhood injury mortality in the United States. Inj Prev. 2004; 10: 79-82 Crossref PubMed Scopus (53) Google Scholar Far too often, emergency nurses treat injured children, adolescents, and young adults. Sometimes, the injuries are relatively minor; other times, they are fatal. Much of the time, traumatic injuries are preventable. 2 Philippakis A Hemenway D Alexe DM Dessypris N Spyridopoulos T Petridou E A quantification of preventable unintentional childhood injury mortality in the United States. Inj Prev. 2004; 10: 79-82 Crossref PubMed Scopus (53) Google Scholar , 3 Agran PF Winn D Anderson C Trent R Walton-Hayes L Rates of pediatric and adolescent injuries by year of age. Pediatrics. 2001; 108: 1-11 Crossref PubMed Scopus (122) Google Scholar , 4 Tamburro RF Shorr RI Bush AJ Kritchevsky SB Stidham GL Helms SA Association between the inception of a SAFE KIDS Coalition and changes in pediatric unintentional injury rates. Inj Prev. 2002; 8: 242-245 Crossref PubMed Scopus (11) Google Scholar , 5 Chen J Kresnow M Simon TR Dellinger A Injury-prevention counseling and behavior among US children: results from the second Injury Control and Risk Survey. Pediatrics. 2007; 119: e958-e965 Crossref PubMed Scopus (52) Google Scholar Emergency nurses can take steps to prevent injuries and decrease morbidity and mortality rates in children and adolescents. Anna Maria Valdez, Member, Sacramento Chapter 253, Director of Clinical Services, REACH Air Medical Services, Santa Rosa, CA.