Accidents ✅

Question 1

What is the leading cause of death in children and young people age 1-19 years?

Answer 1

Traumatic injiry

Question 2

What other adverse outcomes can result from traumatic injury, other than death?

Answer 2

• Hospitalisation

- Permanent disability or disfigurement

Question 3

What has happened to the mortality rate due to accidents in England and Wales over the last 20 years?

Answer 3

It has fallen markedly

Question 4

What is the rate of admission to hospital of children and young people aged 0-17 years in England due to unintentional and deliberate injuries?

Answer 4

About 120 per 10,000 population

Question 5

How does the mortality rate from injuries in the UK compare to low and middle income countries?

Answer 5

There are much higher mortality rates in low and middle income countries

Question 6

What types of accidents most commonly lead to death in low and middle income countries?

Answer 6

• Road traffic accidents

- Drowning

Question 7

Why are accidents particularly common in children and young people?

Answer 7

• Young children do not perceive situation danger, and are unaware of potential dangers in their environment
• Older children and young people indulge in risk-taking behaviours, and often underestimate their potential dangers

Question 8

What influences the pattern of injuries seen from accidents in young children and adolescents?

Answer 8

Anatomical and physiological differences

Question 9

What anatomical and physiological differences in young children and adolescents have an impact on the assessment and management of injuries?

Answer 9

• Young children have less fat and more elastic skeleton protecting tightly packed internal organs
• Larger body surface area to mass ratio in young children
• Blood pressure better maintained in young children

Question 10

What is the implication of young children having less fat and a more elastic skeleton protecting tightly packed internal organs?

Answer 10

Impact force is distributed widely, resulting in a higher incidence of multi-system trauma that adolescents and adults

Question 11

What is the implication of the large body surface area to mass ratio in young children?

Answer 11

It predisposes them to greater heat and insensible fluid loss

Question 12

At what level of blood loss can blood pressure be maintained in children?

Answer 12

20%+

Question 13

What is the implication of blood pressure being maintained even at 20%+ blood loss in children?

Answer 13

Careful attention has to be paid to other physiological parameters when assessing perfusion status

Question 14

What are the top 5 causes of childhood accidental deaths in the UK?

Answer 14

• RTCs
• Burns and scalds
• Drownings
• Falls
• Poisinings

Question 15

In order, who are the top 3 most vulnerable individuals in RTCs?

Answer 15

1. Pedestrians
2. Cyclists
3. Vehicle passengers

Question 16

Where do most RTCs occur?

Answer 16

In built-up areas (rather than higher speed dual carriageways and motorways)

Question 17

What is the limitation of a blanket approach to accident prevention?

Answer 17

A variety of causes and multitude of factors involved in accident causation mean this approach is ineffective

Question 18

What approach to accident prevention is more likely to be effective?

Answer 18

Small targeted strategies and campaigns, which can be scaled up once efficacy has been proven

Question 19

What are the main strategies to accident prevention?

Answer 19

• Child and parent education
• Altering the child’s environment to be safer
• Enforcing environmental change through the law