Pediatric injury prevention counseling: an observational study of process and content.
OBJECTIVE
To describe routine injury prevention counseling; to observe how three visit components - printed prompts, parent remarks, and parent behaviors - affect such counseling; to describe the process and content of discussions about car seats as an example of routine injury prevention.


METHODS
A total of 128 well-child visits of children under 7 months of age to a university pediatric clinic were videotaped (76% of eligible visits).


RESULTS
Three injury topics were mentioned, on an average, per visit. Parents or caregivers rarely introduced injury topics (5%). Physicians frequently introduced those topics listed on age-specific prompting sheets (73%). Car seat counseling typically began with a physician's question (82%). Most asked simply about ownership or use (93%). Few addressed difficult issues, such as consistency of use (11%).


CONCLUSIONS
Physicians bring up the injury topics that are prompted. However, most discussion is superficial. Printed prompts that address counseling process as well as content might be beneficial.
Barrios
L C
LC
The University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. lbarrios@cdc.gov
Runyan
C W
CW
Downs
S M
SM
Bowling
J M
JM
D000367:Age Factors; D003142:Communication; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015370:Infant Equipment; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D013664:Teaching Materials / Q000592:standards; D014743:Videotape Recording; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*