Validation of Parent-Reported Injuries to Their Children
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Mark R Zonfrillo1, Rachel K Myers2, Dennis R Durbin3
1Center for Injury Research and Prevention, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA zonfrillo@email.chop.edu.
Insights
Parents can accurately report specific childhood injuries like fractures. This study validates surveys for effective pediatric injury surveillance, showing high accuracy for extremity and skull fractures.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Injury Epidemiology
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Childhood injuries are a significant cause of emergency department visits, disability, and mortality.
- Accurate injury data is crucial for effective public health interventions and surveillance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of parental self-report for children's specific injuries.
- To determine the sensitivity and specificity of parental injury reporting.
Main Methods:
- A prospective validation study was conducted across three urban pediatric emergency departments.
- Parents of 516 injured children completed surveys two weeks post-visit.
- Survey responses were compared against medical record data.
Main Results:
- Parental surveys demonstrated high sensitivity for fractures (≥0.75), particularly extremity and skull fractures (≥0.88).
- Specificity estimates consistently exceeded 0.95 for reported injuries.
- Internal organ injuries were reported with lower parental accuracy compared to fractures.
Conclusions:
- Telephone-administered and mailed surveys are effective tools for parents to report specific pediatric injuries.
- This survey methodology shows promise as a valuable instrument for pediatric injury surveillance.
Objective:
Injury is a leading cause of emergency department visits, disability, and death in children. This study examined the sensitivity and specificity of parental report of children's specific injuries.
Methods:
A prospective validation study was conducted in 3 urban pediatric emergency departments from August 2010 to July 2011. Parents of injured children completed a survey at 2-weeks following the emergency department visit, and their responses were compared to injury data that were abstracted from medical records.
Results:
Parent surveys were completed for 516 injured children. Sensitivities were ≥0.75 for all fractures and ≥0.88 for extremity and skull fractures. Internal organ injuries were generally less accurately reported by parents than fractures. Specificity estimates all exceeded 0.95.
Conclusions:
This telephone-administered and mailed self-administered survey enabled parents to accurately report specific head and extremity injuries.
Practical Applications:
This survey may be a useful tool for pediatric injury surveillance activities.
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