PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

When new parents prepare to leave the hospital with a newborn, there is no assurance that the baby will be transported in an age-appropriate and properly installed child safety seat. In another instance, a three-year-old child traveling home after an emergency room visit may ride in a vehicle that is not equipped with a child safety seat; thus, putting the child at risk for injury in a motor vehicle crash and a return trip to the emergency room. These scenarios are too common because many hospitals and pediatricians do not have written discharge policies for newborns and children under the age of eight.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The Idaho Office of Highway Safety wanted to be proactive by reaching out to hospitals in an effort to raise the issue of child passenger safety and underscore the importance of injury prevention. This goal would be accomplished by:  

• determining if the state’s major hospitals had written discharge policies for newborns and children under eight;

• providing public information and education materials on child safety seats, booster seats, and training opportunities;

• encouraging hospitals to contact the Office of Highway Safety for more information on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) programs and materials and Child Passenger Safety Week activities; and

• highlighting the efforts of lawmakers and child passenger safety advocates in other states to ensure that children are transported in age and weight appropriate child safety seats.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

The Idaho Office of Highway Safety sent letters to 39 hospitals and 86 pediatricians within the state inquiring about discharge policies for children and newborns. The letter also included information about National Standardized Child Passenger Safety Training. For those hospitals and pediatricians that did not respond in writing, follow-up telephone calls were made. The Office also contacted each hospital’s Director of Volunteer Services, who manages the individuals who escort patients and parents to their vehicles following discharge.

If a hospital or pediatric practice does not have a formal discharge policy, the Office of Highway safety refers them to NHTSA and the American Academy of Pediatrics as a resource for developing a policy.

RESULTS

The 25 percent response rate to the letter that was sent by the state’s highway safety office far exceeded the expectations of the office staff (the average response rate for an unsolicited mailing is three to four percent). The mailing and follow-up telephone calls resulted in establishing contacts with hospitals and pediatricians. Arrangements are being made to provide child passenger safety technician training to the many children’s hospitals that expressed interest in this training.

Copies of the letter sent to hospitals and pediatricians are available from the Highway Safety Office from the contact listed below.