Page 13 - Delaware Medical Journal - February 2018

SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE
INTRODUCTION
Play and playgrounds are integral to the growth and development of children, both physically and socially. However, the use of playground equipment is
not without risk. Each year, more than 240,000 children in the United States
are taken to an emergency department with a playground-related injury.1 These injuries range widely in severity and
most often result in fractures, making up around 36 percent of patient diagnoses.2
A study by the Pennsylvania Trauma Foundation noted that nearly one-third of playground injuries were associated with falls from the equipment, demonstrating the need for continued playground injury prevention and education.3 In a study performed by Loder, 45 percent of injuries were due to the monkey bars, a common structure found at playgrounds.4 With
this potential for severe injury, there is a need for continued research and updated playground injury prevention.
Within the state of Delaware, falls are
the most frequent mechanism of injury causing hospital admission for both adult and pediatric populations. Pediatric injuries due to falls occur frequently, accounting for approximately 50 percent of all trauma in patients younger than 15 in the state. Further, falls at a playground constitute the vast majority of total
falls, with children aged 5 to 8 at the highest risk.5 The high prevalence of these injuries in Delaware is cause for concern, as falls can be prevented. This prompted an investigation into the root causes of this type of pediatric injury within the only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children (N/AIDHC). The aim of this study was to describe trends, patient demographics, injury characteristics, and a hospital-based injury prevention program at N/AIDHC.
FIGURE 1
Injury severity scores by playground injury equipment type.
FIGURE 2
Playground equipment by age category.
Del Med J | February 2018 | Vol. 90 | No. 2
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