Parent Education by Maternity Nurses and Prevention of Abusive Head Trauma
Date
2011
Journal Title
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Volume Title
Publisher
Pediatrics
Abstract
A consortium of the 19 community hospitals and 1 tertiary
care children’s hospital that provide maternity care in the New York
State Hudson Valley region implemented a program to teach parents
about the dangers of shaking infants and how to cope safely with an
infant’s crying. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the program in
reducing the frequency of shaking injuries.
The educational program, which was delivered by maternity
nurses, included a leaflet explaining abusive head trauma
(“shaken baby syndrome”) and how to prevent it, an 8-minute video on
the subject, and a statement signed by parents acknowledging receipt
of the information and agreeing to share it with others who will care
for the infant. Poisson regression analysis was used to compare the
frequency of shaking injuries during the 3 years after program implementation
with the frequency during a 5-year historical control period.
Sixteen infants who were born in the region during the
8-year study period were treated at the children’s hospital for shaking
injuries sustained during their first year of life. Of those infants, 14
were born during the 5-year control period and 2 during the 3-year
postimplementation period. The decrease from 2.8 injuries per year
(14 cases in 5 years) to 0.7 injuries per year (2 cases in 3 years)
represents a 75.0% reduction (P .03).
Parent education delivered in the hospital by maternity
nurses reduces newborns’ risks of sustaining an abusive head
injury resulting from shaking during the first year of life.
Description
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Keywords
abusive head trauma, parenting, prevention, nurses, physical abuse
Citation
Altman, R. L., Canter, J., Patrick, P. A., Daley, N., Butt, N. K., & Brand, D. A. (2011). Parent education by maternity nurses and prevention of abusive head trauma. Pediatrics, 128(5), e1164-e1172.