1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and Hartford Hospital, Hartford
Injury has been recognized as the major cause of morbidity and mortality in childhood for more than 40 years. Pediatricians have been urged to incorporate anticipatory guidance regarding injury prevention into routine health maintenance. Injury prevention programs, such as TIPP, have been specifically directed at the home environment and widely promoted by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Hospitals have traditionally been perceived as the place to go after an injury occurs. Scant attention has been paid to the hospital environment as a source of potential injury to children. In 1963, a study based on a questionnaire sent to nine Michigan hospitals concluded that "accidents do occur with alarming frequency to children who are in the hospital."1
Submitted on December 3, 1987