Injury Free Prevention Education for the Pediatric Trainee

Simi Abraham, MD
Sandra McKay, MD

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children in the United States. Pediatricians have a unique role to counsel patients and families on various topics of injury prevention (IP). Research has shown, however, that medical providers are not as comfortable and have a decreased knowledge base with injury prevention counseling.

A virtual and interactive educational form of education was implemented for the pediatric residents. Utilizing current faculty experts in content and educational programming, a 4 module curricula was created to encompass the spectrum of injury prevention. A pre-test and post-test were provided. This test encompassed multiple choice knowledge based questions as well as 5 point Likert Scale questions on the resident comfort level on discussing the topics to be presented. Data analysis was conducted on the responses of the pre and posttests utilizing a Paired T test, and Shapiro-Wilk test for validation; descriptive analysis was performed on remaining data.

Results of the pre/post test showed an improvement in the average score from 10.2/15 (median 10; range 4-14/15) to 11.2/15 (median 12, range 8-14/15) (p=0.042). The Shapiro-Wilk test revealed a normal distribution. The frequently missed questions involved firearm safety and safe sleep, important components of pediatric anticipatory guidance. Based on analysis, there was a statistically significant improvement in knowledge when comparing the pre and posttests. Learners’ reported a small improvement in comfort level with discussion about injury prevention (3.5 to 3/9/5) and were less likely to agree with the statement “I do not know what injury prevention resources to provide to families” after completing the course (3.1 to 2.5/5).

Injury prevention education is a vital component as part of the pediatric resident’s training. With the ongoing pandemic, a virtual and interactive education curriculum was a safe and efficient way to provide teaching. The improvement of the posttest knowledge responses indicate that the injury prevention curriculum is a beneficial education tool for pediatric residents. However, based on response rates, supplementation education may be needed to reinforce the topic.

1) Improve knowledge and comfort in injury prevention counseling among pediatric residents
2) Discuss leading causes of injury related deaths in children
3) Counsel families on topics related to child safety.