Tens of thousands of children visit hospital emergency departments each year with head injuries, broken bones and deep cuts, the report said. Public Health Agency of Canada and Children First Canada, And most of those injuries are preventable.
Pediatric health experts and child welfare organizations say there are some simple guidelines parents can follow to keep their children out of the emergency room.
Dr. April Kamm is a pediatric emergency room physician and a member of the Canadian Pediatric Society’s Injury Prevention Committee.
her organization maintain a set of guides Information on keeping children safe at home and at play, including a list of some high-risk activities to avoid or follow important safety guidelines.
Here are some dangerous activities. Dr. Kam and the Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS) say these activities increase the risk of injury and death for children.
be alone with the animals
According to Kam, when you have children under 5, Bitten by an animal Because of their short stature, they are more likely to occur around the head and neck. Stings in this area are especially dangerous.
“They also tend to be less aware of animal fear,” Kam told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.
For these reasons, CPS says young children should not be left alone around animals, even familiar ones, and should not be allowed to sleep with pets.
“Accidents can occur when children tease or interact with pets in a way that makes them uncomfortable,” says a government agency handout on pet safety.
Play with BB guns and air guns
According to CPD, many non-powder gun BB guns, air guns, etc. have almost the same power as regular guns.
When fired with a non-powder firearm, pellets or BB bullets can pierce the skin and cause serious internal damage. Officials warn that BB guns and air guns can cause serious eye damage and even death. For this reason, it should never be used as a toy.
play on the trampoline
cam said kids trampoline related injuries This is a common sight in pediatric emergency departments.
“Injuries are most common when multiple children are on the trampoline at the same time, when they are doing tricks like somersaults and somersaults, when young children are with older children, or when adults jump on the trampoline. At the same time.”
In fact, CPS says Canada is seeing an increase in trampoline-related injuries, including cuts, bruises, broken bones, head injuries and spinal injuries. It is also most common among children between the ages of 5 and 14.
In this July 31, 2013 photo, Dr. Craig Cook, trauma director at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah, points at an X-ray in the emergency room that shows a fracture that occurred at a jump gym. ing. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
The agency says home trampolines are not safe, even under adult supervision, and trampoline parks are even more dangerous. Cam can attest to this too.
“Children tend to be more likely to be hospitalized if they are injured on a trampoline park than if they are injured on a home trampoline,” she says. Injuries at trampoline parks commonly involve lower body sprains and fractures, and can also include open fractures and spinal cord injuries.
For these reasons, the Canadian Pediatric Association recommends that parents not purchase trampolines for use at home and consider the risks and dangers before sending their children to indoor trampoline parks.
Cycling, skiing, or skating without a helmet
children must always wear approved safety helmet For activities where there is a risk of head injury, such as cycling, skiing, skating, roller blading, and sledding.
All helmets must carry an approved standards label that certifies that the helmet design has been tested by the manufacturer to protect the head. This label can be found on the inside or top of the helmet.
Some helmets, such as bicycle helmets, are single-impact helmets and will need to be replaced after one hard fall. This also means that used bicycle helmets are not ideal, even if they are more affordable. But Kam said a used helmet is still better than no helmet.
“Theoretically, if you fall once, you should fall again,” Kam said. “Ideally, you don’t use a used helmet. But is a used helmet better than no helmet? I mean, I imagine it is.”
Helmets sold in Canada are certified by the CSA Canadian Standards Association, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Snell, or the American Institute for Testing and Materials.
Riding or operating an ATV
In Canada, almost 34% ATV-related fatalities According to CPS, children and adolescents under the age of 16 are most commonly affected, although they make up a small percentage of all ATV drivers and passengers.
More than 33% of serious injuries requiring hospitalization from ATV collisions involve children under 19 years of age. A child under the age of 16 is more likely to sustain a head injury or fracture in his ATV accident than an adult.
For these reasons, Kam said she doesn’t want her 11- and 14-year-olds in the car. This is also consistent with her CPS-issued guidelines that children and youth under the age of 16 should not drive her ATV.
“And children under the age of six should not be passengers,” Kam added.
swimming without supervision
drowning CPS reports that it is one of the leading causes of injury-related deaths in children under the age of five in Canada. Many of these drownings occur in backyard pools without a four-sided pool fence, a self-closing, self-latching safety gate, or in situations where a supervising adult is distracted.
The agency says all children should be supervised by an adult when in or near water and should not be left alone in pools or bathtubs, even for short periods of time. Just having other kids around is not enough. Children may not recognize the signs of drowning or may not react quickly enough to seek immediate help.
Riding in the front seat if you are under 13 years old
The rule is unlikely to be widespread among children under the age of 13, but CPS says it will be widespread among children under the age of 13. The back seats are the safest. In fact, many states legally require children to be at least 13 years old to sit in the front seat.according to kidshealth.org, These laws exist to protect children from airbag-related injuries.
“My oldest son just recently learned to sit in the front seat, and as a mother he always teases me about having a (pediatric) emergency doctor,” Kam said.
If a child over 13 years old is sitting in the front seat, transportation in canada It states that the seat should be moved as far back as possible while leaving enough space for the rear passenger, and that children should always sit straight against the seat.
