ABSTRACT
Conclusion:
Children are the most risky group in terms of accidents as they spend most of their times at home, driven by curiosity, seek to explore the world, imitate their elders, are on the move at all times and have not the ability to save themselves from accidents. Accidents are undesired situations that may result in loss of life and property. However, home accidents may be prevented as the time and place of the accidences may be predicted considering the past experiences. Safety and preventive programs should be developed based on comprehensive community-based research in our country. Home accidents and resulting death and disability may be prevented by safety measurements at home.
Results:
The study comprised of 303 patients who were admitted because of home accidents. The average age of the patients was 4.27±4.18 years. 67 patients (22.1%) were below age 1, 160 (52.8%) aged between 1 and 5 years, 38 (12.5%) aged between 5 and 10 years and 38 patients (12.5%) were older than 10 years of age. The causes of home accidents were fall and bump in 205 (67.7%) patients; burning in 33 (10.9%), cut in 15 (5%), ingestion of drugs or corrosive substances in 19 (6.3%) and other reasons in 31 (10.2) patients. Twenty one patients (6.9%) were hospitalized after emergency care admission and 10 (3.3%) of them needed intensive care. During the study period, none of the patients died because of home accidents.
Methods:
Data of patients, who were admitted to our hospital between August, 1, 2016 and October, 31, 2016 were retrospectively evaluated. Patients who were admitted because of home accidents were included in the study.
Introduction:
The largest number of home accidents happens inside the house or in the garden, pool or garage. Home accidents are an important issue as they happen frequently with pre-school children and may result in death or disability. States conduct studies investigating types and reasons of the accidents in order to develop safety programs which fit into their socioeconomic-sociocultural structures. However, there is no sufficient surveillance system in our country. In this study, we aimed to evaluate home accidents in children admitted to the pediatric emergency department of our hospital which serves as a trauma and intoxication center.