Use of a safety resource center in a pediatric emergency department

To describe the use of a safety resource center (SRC) within a pediatric emergency department (ED) about injury prevention (IP) counseling, sales, costs, and parental responses to the services.

The SRC was established in June 2005 in the waiting area of an urban pediatric ED caring for approximately 96,000 patients annually. Safety resource center staff sells products of proven efficacy (eg, car seats, smoke alarms, and bike helmets) and offers safety education materials to patients and families. Activities including sales, educational content provided, types of inquiries from families, and overall satisfaction with the service were logged into a Microsoft Access database. Follow-up phone calls are made to all families 3 weeks after they purchase a product.

Between June 20, 2005 and July 1, 2007, the SRC served approximately 13,000 families. Seven hundred eighty-six families purchased 816 products, generating $14,859. An additional 473 products were given away, totaling 1289 product items provided to families. The most commonly purchased items were car safety seats and bicycle helmets. Roughly 7000 IP-related brochures were distributed to ED families, and 120 car seats were fitted. Of the 786 families who made a purchase, 383 (49%) were reached for follow-up. Ninety-seven percent reported to still be using the purchased product, and 28% made a different change in the home to practice safer behaviors. Ninety-five percent were grateful that the SRC was located in the ED.

The SRC can provide IP product, encourage families to practice safer behaviors, and is well-received within a large, urban pediatric ED.