title: Volunteer driven home safety intervention results in significant reduction in pediatric injuries: A model for community based injury reduction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Home based injuries account for a significant number of injuries to children between 1 and 5years old. Evidence-based safety interventions delivered in the home with installation of safety equipment have been demonstrated to reduce injury rates. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a community based volunteer implemented home safety intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  In partnership with a community with high injury rates for children between 1 and 5years old, a home safety bundle was developed and implemented by volunteers. The safety bundle included installing evidence based safety equipment. Monthly community emergency room attended injury rates as well as emergency room attended injuries occurring in intervention and nonintervention homes was tracked throughout the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between May 2012 and May 2014 a total of 207 homes with children 1-5years old received the home safety bundle. The baseline monthly emergency room attended injury rate for children aged 1-5years within our target community was 11.3/1000 and that within our county was 8.7/1000. Following the intervention current rates are now 10.3/1000 and 9.2/1000 respectively. Within intervention homes the injury rate decreased to 4.2/1000 while the rate in the homes not receiving the intervention experienced an increase in injury rate to 12/1000 (p<0.05). When observed vs. expected injuries were examined the intervention group demonstrated 59% fewer injuries while the nonintervention group demonstrated a 6% increase (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children in homes that received a volunteer-provided, free home safety bundle experienced 59% fewer injuries than would have been expected. By partnering with community leaders and organizing volunteers, proven home safety interventions were successfully provided to 207 homes during a two-year period, and a decline in community injury rates for children younger than 5years was observed compared to county wide injury rates.
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Children's Injury Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Electronic address: richard.falcone@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Falcone
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Children's Injury Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Electronic address: patrick.edmunds@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Edmunds
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Children's Injury Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Electronic address: emily.lee@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Children's Injury Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Electronic address: dawne.gardner@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Dawne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Children's Injury Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Electronic address: kljprice@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Price
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Children's Injury Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Electronic address: michael.gittelman@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gittelman
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Children's Injury Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Electronic address: wendy.pomerantz@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pomerantz
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Children's Injury Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Electronic address: john.besl@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Besl
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Children's Injury Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Electronic address: gowri.madhavan@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Gowri
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Madhavan
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Children's Injury Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Electronic address: kieran.phelan@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Kieran J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Phelan
mesh_terms: D000061:Accidents, Home / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009820:Ohio / Q000453:epidemiology; D011482:Protective Devices; D012449:Safety; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014838:Volunteers; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
keywords: Community based; Home safety; Injury; Pediatric