Pediatric Life Support Provides Expert Care for Playground-Related Injuries

Children are an active group; they enjoy playing sports, climbing all over playgrounds and being outside in general – and they never seem to tire. Though playground safety standards have done a great deal to prevent injuries in children, the fact is, some injuries are simply unavoidable. Each year in the United States, emergency departments treat more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger for playground-related injuries.[i]

A medical professional or first responder with certification in pediatric advanced life support (PALS) can literally be a lifesaver for child who has sustained a serious playground injury.

Why the Pediatric Life Support Course?

A pediatric life support course can expertly prepare you to administer the necessary care – and even potentially life-saving measures – that are so crucial for a child immediately following an injury. Pediatric life support courses offer instruction related to resuscitating, stabilizing and providing medical care to injured infants and children.

About 45 percent of playground-related injuries are severe-fractures, internal injuries, concussions, dislocations and amputations. A healthcare professional or first responder who is certified in pediatric life support can provide needed emergency care for the majority of these common playground injuries.

Summertime is the ideal time for a PALS refresher

With the sun shining and no schoolwork on the horizon, children play outside far more often in the summer than they do during the school year. Should a child sustain a playground injury, pediatric life support certification can help you quickly recognize the severity and understand how best to treat the injury.

If your certification is about to expire or if you have already completed a pediatric life support course but need a refresher, it may be useful to review a free PALS study guide as the summer months draw nearer.

Playground injury statistics

First responders or other healthcare professionals can begin to prepare for some of the types of playground-related injuries they may see in summertime months by familiarizing themselves with these relevant statistics:

Girls sustain injuries (55 percent) slightly more often than boys (45 percent).
On public playgrounds, more injuries occur on climbers than on any other equipment.
Children ages 5 to 9 have higher rates of emergency department visits for playground injuries than any other age group.

Would certification in PALS be beneficial to your career? Is it time to update and recertify? Look to Health Ed Solutions for certification or recertification in PALS, ACLS, BLS and training in CPR and AED use. Online courses are geared toward healthcare professionals, first responders or others wanting to be prepared in an emergency situation.

Source:

https://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Playground-Injuries/playgroundinjuries-factsheet.htm