Babies are still dying of SIDS.
The following account of a devastating, preventable death helped change licensing regulations and brought about a safer sleep environment for all infants in licensed child-care facilities in Arkansas. Coauthor Andrea Moore responded to her own personal and family tragedy with a determination to save lives by reducing risk and promoting public awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). She teamed up with coauthor Rebecca Matthews, a community health nurse, and Rebecca's husband, pediatrician David Matthews, president of the Arkansas chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, to initiate a four-year public health intervention. This article provides information on SIDS, suggests ways that nurses can help educate caregivers and contribute to the prevention of SIDS, and details the progress of the team's educational initiative.
Arkansas State University School of Nursing, Jonesboro, AR, USA. rmatthews@astate.edu
Rebecca
R
Matthews
Andrea
A
Moore
D001364:Awareness; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009729:Nursing; D012449:Safety; D012890:Sleep; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology