Paediatric emergency department-based carbon monoxide detector intervention: a randomised trial

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Emergency Medicine
• Health Education

Background:

• Unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is a significant public health concern in the USA, causing over 400 deaths and 20,000 injuries annually.
• There is a critical need for evidence-based strategies to prevent CO poisoning and promote the correct use and installation of CO detectors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an emergency department-delivered intervention aimed at increasing knowledge and safe practices related to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
• To assess the impact of an educational tool and CO detector on parents' understanding and behavior regarding CO safety.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial (Project CODE) involving 299 parents of children recruited from a pediatric trauma center.
• The intervention group received an educational booklet and a plug-in CO detector, while the control group received a prevention flyer.
• Follow-up home observations were conducted at 2 weeks and 6 months.

Main Results:

• Parents in the intervention group showed a greater increase in CO knowledge scores compared to the control group.
• Intervention group parents demonstrated significantly higher rates of safe CO detector use at both 2-week and 6-month follow-ups (RR: 2.75-2.78).
• Adjustments were made for baseline behavior and income, reinforcing the intervention's impact.

Conclusions:

• An emergency department intervention combining a theory-based educational tool with a CO detector is effective.
• This approach can enhance CO poisoning knowledge and promote appropriate CO detector use and installation.
• The findings support the implementation of such interventions to improve public safety regarding CO poisoning.