Injury prevention – Health of the children has been considered as the vital importance to all societies because children are the basic resource for the future of humankind. Nursing care of children is concerned for both the health of the children and for the illnesses that affect their growth and development. The increasing complexity of medical and nursing science has created a need for special area of child care, i.e. pediatric nursing.
Pediatric nursing is the specialized area of nursing practice concerning the care of children during wellness and illness. It includes preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative care of children. It emphasizes on all round development of body, mind and spirit of the growing individual. Thus, pediatric nursing involves in giving assistance, care and support to the growing and developing children to achieve their individual potential for functioning with fullest capacity.
Injury prevention
Causes of Children Injury:
- Worldwide road traffic injury.
- Aspiration/Swallowing of foreign body
- Drowning.
- Fire and Bum.
- Falls.
- Poisoning.
Others cause:
- Electricity.
- Cuts.
- Animal injury.
- Suicide.
Name of Common Birth Injuries:
Head and Neck Injuries:
- Cephalhematoma.
- Sub-galeal hematoma.
- Caput succedaneum.
- Intracranial hemorrhage.
- Skull fracture.
- Sternocleidomastoid muscle injury.
Cranial nerve, spinal cord and peripheral nerve injuries:
- Cranial nerve injury.
- Spinal cord injury.
- Cervical nerve root injuries.
Bone injuries.
Intra-abdominal injuries:
- Rupture or sub-capsular hemorrhage into the
✓Liver.
✓ Spleen.
✓ Adrenal gland.
✓Soft-tissue injuries.
Risk Factors of Child Injury:
- Poverty.
- Absence of protective factors.
- Environments in which children live.
- Access to medical care.
Prevention of Child Injury:
By the following way we can prevent child injury –
- To teach children between the age of 4-10 years how to swim.
- Legislation and regulation and their enforcement.
- Product modification.
- Traffic should be diverted away from residential area.
- Safety measures at school.
- Safety measures at home.
- Improve health care facilities for children.
- Environmental modification.
- Home visit by health professional.
- Raise awareness.
Nursing Responsibilities in Prevention of Accidents of Children:
Health education is considered as vaccination for prevention of accidents. The significant role of nursing personnel is to improve the level of knowledge and awareness about the safety precautions. Parents should be taught to anticipate the risk, to maintain discipline and to provide time to supervise children. Anticipatory guidance should be provided to the parents, family members, school teacher, grown up children and general public about preventions of accidents.
- Provision of safe environment to eliminate or reduce the hazardous conditions for the children. It should be arranged at home. School, community and hospitals.
- Safe child care should be organized and provided to prevent accidental hazards. Assessment of child’s characteristics for accidental liability is important. Parents should be involved in safety program of child care. Eliminations of causative factors need to be emphasized through health education.
- Assisting in medical care to prevent disabilities and handicapped condition is an important responsibility of the nurse.
- Emergency care at comprehensive trauma care unit improves the survival rate. Rehabilitation facilities should be organized with necessary referral.
- Public health measures regarding prevention of accidents should be implemented. Traffic rules, restriction of speed, use of helmets, avoidance of alcohol while driving, regular checking of vehicles, etc. must be strictly enforced. Nurse should make the people aware about the strict implementation of rules.
- Participate in policy making and research activities related to accidents prevention and changing of behavior for controlling accidents.
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