Focus On Pediatrics-Center designed to prevent head injuries
June 1, 2000 3 minutes read
Focus On Pediatrics-Center designed to prevent head injuries
Research component investigates effectiveness
Staff in the Neuroscience Department at Phoenix (AZ) Children's Hospital were determined to come up with ideas to prevent the head injuries they were seeing caused from bicycle, in-line skating, and motor vehicle accidents, so they applied for a grant to open a children's injury prevention center. The center, which opened in October 1997, provides education, program development, advocacy, and research on safety issues. It also helps coordinate local, regional, and state prevention efforts.
"The biggest impact we have had on the community is in the area of research. We have focused mostly on bicycle safety, but have also done research on gun safety and child passenger seat safety," says Nancy Quay, RN, clinical nurse specialist for neuroscience and program director for the Childhood Injury Prevention Center at Phoenix Children's Hospital.
Many organizations in Phoenix distribute bicycle helmets to youth in low-income areas and at schools, yet no one was evaluating whether or not the giveaways were increasing helmet usage. The center conducted an observational study in low-, middle-, and high-income areas recording whether or not kids on bicycles were wearing helmets. They found that, overall, 15% of the children wore bicycle helmets.
The center also surveyed third- through sixth-grade children asking if they wore a helmet, and if not, why not. They discovered that the older the children were, the less likely they were to wear a helmet because of peer pressure to be "cool."
The research findings helped strengthen the bicycle safety sub-committee within the Safe Kids Coalition, a community action group consisting of local hospitals, police and fire departments, and civic organizations. As a group, they were able to stage a helmet promotion day at a game played by the Arizona Diamond Backs, a major league baseball team.
As part of the promotion, children at area schools were invited to design a helmet based on the ball team's colors. The winner and his or her classmates paraded to the ballpark on bicycles wearing helmets featuring the winning decal. All five contest finalists were on the field when a star player presented the winner with a trophy during the game.
"The trophy will travel from last year's winning school to the winning school this year and every year," explains Quay.
In addition to research, the injury prevention center conducts car safety seat checks by appointment on the first and third Fridays of each month. The check helps parents determine if the seat is the right one for their child's age and weight and if it is installed correctly in the car. Once a month, a child safety seat class is conducted in the hospital for families who have babies in the neonatal intensive care unit who are ready to be discharged.
Other educational efforts include a curriculum for bicycle helmet safety classes that can be checked out by teachers and youth leaders. All the teaching instructions and educational materials are in one box.
Staff from the center established an injury prevention library, located in the patient resource center. They also create injury prevention posters three or four times each year. Each poster uses question-and-answer format to address five topics relevant to the parents of children at various ages, such as infants, primary school, and teen-agers. For example, one question asked whether or not a parent should allow a 7-year-old to walk to school alone. The answer was no, children under 9 years old should not cross streets by themselves.
Last year, the injury prevention center hosted a safety conference for professionals, and staff plan to host one each year. A key component of injury prevention is working with organizations within your community, says Quay. "As a hospital, we weren't aware of what was happening in the community. You kind of stay confined and treat the kids that you see who are injured and ill."
[Editor's note: For information on creating a Safe Kids Coalition in your area, contact: National Safe Kids Campaign, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004. Telephone: (202) 662-0600. Fax: (202) 393-2072. Web site: www.safekids.org.]
For more information on the Childhood Injury Prevention Center, contact:
• Nancy Quay, RN, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Neuroscience, Program Director, Childhood Injury Prevention Center, Phoenix Children's Hospital, 909 East Brill St., Phoenix, AZ 95006. Telephone: (602) 239-4156. Fax: (602) 239-3862. E-mail: nguay@ phxchildrens.com.
To view examples of the injury prevention posters created at the center and to review all research results, visit the Childhood Injury Prevention Center Web site at: www. phxchildrens.com.
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