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Buckle me up! A randomised controlled trial using a tablet-based emergency department intervention for child car
Angela Yu Zhang1,2, Julie Leviter3,4, Janette Baird3,5
1Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA ayzhang93@gmail.com.
Insights
A tablet-based educational tool improved child car restraint behaviors in parents visiting the pediatric emergency department. This intervention demonstrated positive behavioral changes, with most parents finding the Computer Intervention Authoring Software (CIAS) helpful for enhancing child safety.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Public Health Interventions
- Injury Prevention
Background:
- Improper child car restraint use poses significant risks of death and injury in motor vehicle crashes.
- Millions of children in the US lack correct car restraint usage.
- Educational interventions are crucial for improving child passenger safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of a tablet-based educational intervention on parents' knowledge and behaviors regarding child car restraints.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of Computer Intervention Authoring Software (CIAS) in a pediatric emergency department (PED) setting.
Main Methods:
- A non-blinded, randomized controlled trial involving parents of children aged 0-12 years in a PED.
- Intervention group received a tablet-based module (CIAS); control group received printed handouts.
- Follow-up surveys assessed changes in car restraint knowledge and behavior after one week.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in baseline or follow-up knowledge of car restraints between groups.
- Significantly more caregivers in the intervention group reported modifying their child's car restraint (52.5% vs. 31.8%, p=0.003).
- 93.7% of intervention group parents found CIAS helpful in learning to improve car safety.
Conclusions:
- While baseline knowledge was high, the CIAS intervention effectively promoted positive behavioral changes in child car restraint use.
- The tablet-based CIAS tool is a valuable and acceptable intervention for behavioral change in parents within the PED.
- This novel approach offers a promising strategy for enhancing child passenger safety.
Background And Objectives:
Correct child car restraint use significantly reduces risk of death and serious injury in motor vehicle crashes, but millions of US children ride with improper restraints. We created a tablet-based car restraint educational intervention using Computer Intervention Authoring Software (CIAS) and examined its impact on knowledge and behaviours among parents in the paediatric emergency department (PED).
Methods:
This was a non-blinded, randomised controlled trial of parents of PED patients ages 0-12 years. Participants were evaluated for baseline car restraint knowledge and behaviour. The intervention group completed an interactive tablet-based module, while the control group received printed handouts on car restraint safety. After 1 week, both groups received a follow-up survey assessing changes in car restraint knowledge and behaviour. Logistic regressions determined predictors of knowledge retention and behavioural changes. Parents in the CIAS group were also surveyed on programme acceptability.
Results:
211 parents completed the study with follow-up data. There was no significant difference in baseline car restraint knowledge (74.3% correct in intervention, 61.8% in control, p=0.15), or increase in follow-up restraint knowledge. Significantly more intervention-group caregivers reported modifying their child's car restraint at follow-up (52.5% vs 31.8%,p=0.003), and 93.7% of them found CIAS helpful in learning to improve car safety.
Conclusion:
Parents had overall high levels of car restraint knowledge. Using CIAS led to positive behavioural changes regarding child car restraint safety, with the vast majority reporting positive attitudes towards CIAS. This novel, interactive, tablet-based tool is a useful PED intervention for behavioural change in parents.
Trial Registration Number:
NCT03799393.
