Injury Prevention Education in the Waiting Room of an Underserved Pediatric Primary Care Clinic

Abstract

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of childhood mortality in the United States. Study aims included educating families about injury prevention and improving satisfaction with the waiting room experience. Two hundred caregivers with young children in the waiting room of an underserved pediatric primary care clinic participated in brief individual education sessions and received a toolkit containing small safety items and content highlighting age-appropriate safety topics. Participants completed 2 follow-up surveys, and most caregivers (94%) reported learning new information about injury prevention and thought that the intervention resulted in a better waiting room experience (91%). Of those who completed the 2-week follow-up survey (84%), 93.5% made changes at home and 42.7% bought new safety equipment. Injury prevention education can be effectively provided in the waiting room of a pediatric primary care clinic by improving reported caregiver safety knowledge and behaviors as well as satisfaction with the waiting room experience.