Abstract
BackgroundMinor injuries are very common in the pediatric population and often occur in the home environment. Despite its prevalence, little is known about outcomes in children following minor injury at home. Understanding the impact of these injuries on children and their families is important for treatment, prevention, and policy. The objectives of our study were (1) To describe the distribution of short-term outcomes following pediatric minor injuries sustained at home and (2) To explore the relationship of injury type and patient and household demographics with these outcomes.MethodsChildren (n = 102) aged 0–7 years with a minor injury sustained at home were recruited in an urban pediatric emergency department as part of the Child Housing Assessment for a Safer Environment (CHASE) observational study. Each patient had a home visit following the emergency department visit, where five parent-reported outcomes were assessed. Relationships were explored with logistic regression.ResultsThe most common type of injury was soft tissue (57.8 %). 13.2 % of children experienced ≥ 7 days of pain, 21.6 % experienced ≥ 7 days of abnormal activity, 8.9 % missed ≥ 5 days of school, 17.8 % of families experienced ≥ 7 days of disruption, and 9.1 % of parents missed ≥ 5 days of work. Families reported a total of 120 missed school days and 120 missed work days. Children who sustained a burn had higher odds of experiencing pain (OR 6.97), abnormal activity (OR 8.01), and missing school (OR 8.71). The parents of children who sustained a burn had higher odds of missing work (OR 14.97).ConclusionsFamilies of children suffering a minor injury at home reported prolonged pain and changes in activity as well as significant school and work loss. In this cohort, burns were more likely than other minor injuries to have these negative short-term outcomes reported and represent an important target for interventions. The impact of these injuries on missed school and disruption of parental work warrants further consideration.
Highlights
Minor injuries are very common in the pediatric population and often occur in the home environment
The specific objectives of our study are to: (1) describe the distribution of short-term outcomes following pediatric minor injuries sustained at home in an urban population, and (2) explore the relationship of injury type and patient demographics, including household variables, to short-term outcomes of children injured at home
The inclusion criteria were: (1) child was aged from birth to 7 years, (2) child had a pediatric emergency department (PED) visit that was not a follow-up visit, (3) child was discharged home, (4) home address was in Baltimore City or County, (5) parent/ guardian was English-speaking, (6) child lived with the parent/guardian most or all of the time, and (7) the injury occurred in the home where the child lives most of the time
Summary
Minor injuries are very common in the pediatric population and often occur in the home environment. Injury is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children worldwide, with children < 20 years of age in the United States experiencing an annual nonfatal injury rate of 11,272 per 100,000 [1] Among children in this age group, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 9.2 million children visit the emergency department annually for an unintentional injury, representing 25–40 % of all pediatric emergency department (PED) visits [1, 2]. In the US, injuries sustained at home account for an average of 4 million PED visits per year, representing approximately 40 % of PED visits for unintentional injury in children < 20 years [5]
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