Home safety devices reduce child injuries: study

Cincinnati – Childhood injuries in the home can be significantly reduced with the addition of safety devices such as gates and outlet covers, indicates a study released April 11 from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Researchers documented two groups of families with newborns, one of which installed and maintained a series of safety devices in the homes, including stairway gates, electrical outlet covers, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, according to a study abstract.

At a two-year follow-up, researchers found that the group of children living in homes equipped with the safety devices experienced a rate of injuries requiring medical attention that was 70 percent lower than the control group.

“The home environment is the most common location of injury for younger children,” said lead investigator Kieran J. Phelan, M.D. “A tremendous amount of pain and suffering could be avoided, and millions of dollars in health care costs saved if a standard set of home safety measures were implemented on a broad scale.”

The study was published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.