Online Program

335689
Assessing Pediatric Resident's Attitudes, Barriers and Behaviors Related to Child Passenger Safety


Monday, November 2, 2015

Danielle Erkoboni-Wilbur, MD, Department of Pediatrics, St Christopher's Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA
Injuries incurred in motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of pediatric mortality and long-term disability in the United States (US). Appropriate use of child passenger restraints, ranging from infant carrier seats for the youngest children to booster seats for older children, reduce the risk of injury by more than 45% and death by 25%. High parental knowledge around appropriate child restraint recommendations (i.e. age and size limits) is strongly associated with increased use. Furthermore, pediatricians are routinely cited by parents as trusted sources for information on child passenger safety (CPS). Deficiencies in the teaching of pediatric injury prevention are widely acknowledged across US medical schools and residency programs. Limited research exists assessing the knowledge deficiencies and barriers to education of parents on CPS topics, as reported by US pediatric residents. In this study, physicians enrolled in pediatric residency programs across the US were sent an internet-based survey via email, assessing their perceived and actual knowledge about CPS as well as their barriers and self-efficacy related to providing anticipatory guidance about CPS. The survey identified significant knowledge gaps around all types of child restraints, as well as limitations in the resident's perceived self-efficacy to provide anticipatory guidance. Pediatric residents cited these deficits as the primary barrier to providing guidance to their parents of their patients. This data supports the integration of improved education on child passenger safety within pediatric resident curricula topics and the need for further emphasis on child passenger safety as part of routine anticipatory guidance by resident preceptors.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education

Learning Objectives:
Describe the benefits of physician-provided anticipatory guidance related to child passenger safety List the knowledge gaps reported by pediatric residents related to child passenger safety Identify the barriers experienced by pediatric residents in providing anticipatory guidance related to child passenger safety Discuss the best ways to integrate increased education on child passenger safety within residency curricula across the United States

Keyword(s): Child Health Promotion, Motor Vehicles

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal investigator on this study, and a co-investigator on multiple other, federally and privately funded studies related to child passenger safety. My specific research interests include child passenger safety and the use of technology in health promotion.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.