Unintentional Injuries in Pediatrics

Karen Judy

doi:10.1542/pir.32-10-431

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Karen Judy, MD*

^*Pediatric Program Director, Vice Chair of Education, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL.

Author Disclosure

Dr Judy has disclosed no financial relationships relevant to this article. This commentary does not contain a discussion of an unapproved/investigative use of a commercial product/device.

Objectives

After completing this article, readers should be able to:

Describe the role that unintentional injuries play in the morbidity and mortality of children.
List the risk factors that predispose children and adolescents to the risk of death from a motor vehicle crash.
Detail strategies to counsel parents effectively about bicycle safety.
Describe the safety measures that need to be taken to reduce the risk of drowning in children.
Discuss preventive measures with parents that can reduce the likelihood of scald burns occurring in the home.
Recite the national poison control number.
Detail strategies to avoid accidental firearm injuries in the home.

Introduction

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children in the United States. The definition of an injury is “tissue damage secondary to acute exposure (inadvertent or deliberate) to physical agents (eg, thermal, kinetic, chemical, or electrical energy, or water) or chemicals (eg, poisoning).” Unintentional injuries are not accidents because they are understandable, predictable, and preventable occurrences.

In the United States, injuries kill more children between the ages of 1 and 19 years than all other causes combined (Table 1). Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Childhood Injury Report indicate that 20 children die every day from preventable injuries. (1) The problem is even more profound in developing countries, where more than 95% of deaths occur from injury, accounting for nearly 1 million deaths annually. Injuries also result in significant childhood morbidity. It is estimated that 1 in 4 children sustains an unintentional injury that requires medical care each year. Injuries produce acute morbidity, short- and long-term disability, and high medical costs; United …