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In children, injuries are the leading cause of death, a major source of disability, and the number one cause of death for children after the first year of life. The principles of injury prevention include surveillance, coalitions, communication, interventions, and evaluation. This article discusses a number of common pediatric injuries and their prevention strategies. This review article addresses key components of injury prevention and specifically addresses the following injuries: motor vehicle crashes (with a section on teen driver crashes, sleep-related injury, and death), poisoning, all-terrain vehicle crashes, drowning, and firearm injuries. Injuries are preventable occurrences that can result in devastating sequelae or death. We present an overview of the more common pediatric injuries along with injury-prevention strategies.

Background During the past decade, all-terrain vehicle (ATV)-related injuries treated in US emergency departments decreased by 33%, down to approximately 100,000 injuries in 2016. In comparison, the number of children evaluated for ATV injuries in the Children's of Alabama emergency department more than doubled between 2006 and 2016, counter to the national trend. The American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines state that ATV operators should be at least 16 years old; however, children younger than 16 continue to represent almost one-third of all ATV-related injuries nationwide, and nearly all of the injuries to children in Alabama. Methods Using surveillance data from the Children's of Alabama hospital electronic medical record database, several Alabama counties near Birmingham were identified as having an increased number of children with ATV-related injuries in 2016. The Safety Tips for ATV Riders (STARs) program, developed in Iowa, was provided to middle school students in these counties by pediatric residents. Surveys were anonymously administered to children before and after the program and included information about demographics, knowledge of safe ATV practices, and the likelihood of using the education afterward. Results In total, 525 students participated in January 2019; their ages ranged from 11 to 15 years and the proportion of males and females was equivalent. More than 50% of the children reported riding ATVs in the last 12 months, and of these riders, 47% reported never wearing a helmet when riding. Initially, only 20% of the overall participants knew ATVs were not intended for passengers, 20% knew the recommended engine size for their age, and 57% knew that Alabama law prohibits riding on public roads. After education, this increased to 91%, 90%, and 89%, respectively. Before the STARs program, only 6% knew all three correct answers, whereas 80% answered all of the questions correctly on the postprogram survey. After the program, 34% reported they were very likely/likely to use this information in the future. Conclusions The STARs program dramatically improved short-term ATV safety knowledge, and many participants reported they were likely to subsequently use the safe practices presented. School-based programs, such as STARs, may help increase ATV safety awareness and change behaviors in high-risk age groups. This training may be successfully provided by various motivated individuals, including medical residents.

Introduction Demands on residents’ time during training make it difficult for them to engage consistently with a primary care curriculum. In response to this, the emergency medicine and critical care fields have successfully utilized podcasting to the point where a recent study showed US emergency medicine residents ranked podcasts as the best use of their time for extracurricular education. Methods We produced a 30-minute podcast on urinary tract infections from a primary care perspective, based on descriptors from Entrustable Professional Activity 4, “Manage acute common illnesses in the ambulatory setting.” A moderator, a primary care pediatrician, and a pediatric nephrologist used a loose script of salient points, allowing for a natural evolution of the dialogue. The podcast was distributed to residents via email, along with a 7-question survey. Results The survey was completed by 50 out of 84 residents. Ninety-two percent listened to all or part of the podcast, 98% found it educational, 93% enjoyed listening, and 74% felt more confident identifying and managing patients with possible urinary tract infections after listening. Ninety-six percent felt podcasts were a good alternative method for delivering this curriculum. One comment read, “This was great! It makes the information more accessible so that I can listen while working out or driving or just laying on the couch.” Discussion Based on this success, we are producing additional podcasts and will strive to keep them under 20 minutes, provide key summary points at the end, and improve ease of access by utilizing an RSS (rich site summary) feed.