Water Safety – Injury Prevention ENA-WA June 23, 2023
Water-Related Injuries and Deaths
Scope of the problem: According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022), drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional death worldwide. There were over 4,000 unintentional deaths, in the United States, from drowning every year between 20011 – 2020. There were also approximately 8,000 emergency department visits for non-fatal drownings during the same time period. Additionally, about 40% of those seen and treated in the ED for non-fatal drowning require hospitalization and further care, compared to 10% of other unintentional injuries.
Quick Facts:
- Children aged 1-4 have the highest drowning rates
- Almost 80% of drowning victims are male
- Drowning death rates for American Indian and Alaska Natives aged 29 or younger are almost 2x higher than the rate of White people
- Black people are 1.5x more likely to drown than White people
Risk Factors:
- Lack of supervision
- Unable to swim
- Missing or ineffective fences around bodies of water
- Not wearing life jacket
- Substance use (drinking alcohol and/or using illicit drugs or prescription drugs)
- Medical conditions, such as seizures/epilepsy
Implications For Practice:
- Promote water safety education and injury prevention where you work
- Increase community awareness
- Support policies and regulations that promote water safety
Put into practice:
- Learn basic swimming and water safety skills
- Wear a US Coast Guard approved life jacket when in and around water during recreational activities
- Practice close supervision of children and those that are not skilled in swimming
- Do not leave children unattended for any length of time while they are in the bathtub
- Wear bright-colored clothing/bathing suits for better visibility
- Put up barriers around swimming pools
- Do not use substances while boating or performing other water-related recreational activities
- Swim in areas with lifeguards whenever possible
- Do not swim alone; have a buddy
- Know what to do in case of an emergency
Local Resources:
- Seattle Children’s Hospital
- Harborview Medical Center Injury Prevention and Research Center
- Safe Kids Washington
- Washington State Drowning Prevention Network
- Washington State Parks Boating Program
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, October 7). Drowning facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/drowning/facts/index.html
Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center. (2022, June 23). Washington State Drowning Prevention Network Encourages Extra Attention to Water Safety Amidst a Lifeguard Shortage. Retrieved from: https://hiprc.org/blog/washington-state-drowning-prevention-network-encourages-extra-attention-to-water-safety-amidst-a-lifeguard-shortage/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=washington-state-drowning-prevention-network-encourages-extra-attention-to-water-safety-amidst-a-lifeguard-shortage
Seattle Children’s Hospital. (n.d.) Water Safety and Drowning Prevention. Retrieved from: https://www.seattlechildrens.org/health-safety/keeping-kids-healthy/prevention/drowning-prevention/
Washington State Department of Health. Water Recreation Safety. Retrieved from: https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/water-recreation
Washington State Drowning Prevention Network. (2013, January). Drowning. Retrieved from: https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/Documents/2900//DOH530090Drown.pdf
Firearm Safety – Injury Prevention ENA-WA Feb 6, 2023
Firearm-related injuries and death are preventable.
Scope of the problem: According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022), over 45,000 people died from firearm-related injuries in 2020. Over half of those were from suicides. Let’s put that into perspective in Washington State; in 2021 there were 896 firearm-related deaths in all age groups in Washington State with 69% from suicide (Injury Deaths – County and State Dashboards, n.d.).
Implications for practice: Keep the focus on safety and prevention.
- Suicide prevention
- Firearm safety and storage
There are many reasons as healthcare providers we do not assess for firearm safety across our patient populations. Those reasons can be ethical, personal, or uncertainty about how to make an impact. Here are some tips on how to put injury prevention into practice.
Put into practice:
- Triage & Screening tools. Using your hospital triage and screening tools for those at risk for suicide and providing resources for suicide help and prevention.
- Teaching about firearm storage (2019, Project Childsafe.org)
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- Firearms should be stored when not in use in a locked cabinet, safe, gun vault or storage case. This storage location should be inaccessible to children.
- Gun lock devices can be used in addition to locked storage. Store dissembled parts in separate locations
- Ammunition storage separate from firearms.
Did you know? Many local law enforcement agencies can provide temporary or voluntary firearm storage. And many also offer free gun locks! There are also cable locks that can be purchased for $10-$50 at local stores.
Check out your local resources!
Project Child Safe has a link to law enforcement partners in Washington State:
Safety kit site – Project ChildSafe
The ENA also has the following one page information sheet:
ENA – Firearm Information Sheet
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, May 4). Retrieved February 2, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/firearms/fastfact.html
Injury Deaths – County and State Dashboards. (n.d.). Washington State Department of Health. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://doh.wa.gov/data-statistical-reports/washington-tracking-network-wtn/death/county-injury-deaths-dashboard
The Firearm Industry Trade Association. (2018). Retrieved February 2, 2023, from https://projectchildsafe.org/parents-and-gun-owners/
Check out our Resources & Links page for some injury prevention toolkits and position statements from ENA.
Instead of being viewed as a major public health problem, injuries have been perceived historically as unavoidable accidents that occur as part of everyday life. Over the last 40 years, however, many multi-faceted injury prevention interventions have been developed, implemented and studied. A large body of epidemiological and medical research has shown that injuries, unlike accidents do not occur by chance. In fact, like disease, the risk of injury follows a predictable pattern, thus making them preventable. IQSIP will use this body of evidence to facilitate the transfer of injury prevention research into emergency nursing practice, with the goal of reducing injury consequences to both patients and staff.
When a horrific event occurs, our children need answers as much as we do.
The ways children are able to understand and process tragedy varies significantly by age and personality, but a general rule is to avoid providing kids with more details than they need. “Don’t feed them extra information they aren’t ready to hear,” says Dr. Amy Cirbus, a mother of two, a licensed mental health counselor, and the director of ARC Counseling Services, a private practice in Warwick, New York. School-aged children, who are likely to have more exposure to news, may come to you with questions. Answer those directly and, says Cirbus, “allow your kids to relate what they have heard, so you can correct where needed.” When they seem satisfied with your response, don’t provide them with information they haven’t requested. “Most kids will inquire and move on,” Cirbus says. “Let them. Our adult minds want to continue processing far longer than kids want to or are able to.” For teenagers, Cirbus suggests a more hands-on approach. After talking with your teen to find out what they already know, she says, “you may need to correct any misinformation or perhaps investigate answers along with them.” They need guidance and support as well — you may have to join in with them rather than simply answer questions. Talking to our kids about tragedy and loss is difficult and scary for all of us. Books can be helpful for children and for parents when it is difficult to find the appropriate words to make sense of what’s happening in the world. Books allow parents and children to gently discuss complex subjects such as personal loss and global tragedy.
It’s important for parents to help their children feel safe and secure, especially at home. Ways to do this includes maintaining routines and spending extra time with your children. Certain tragedies may also prompt parents to review potential threats to their children’s safety and to discuss safety planning with them and the other adults in their lives.
With the latest tragedy, please take time to overview safety procedures at home and at school and ensure you, your family and friends feel confident in the event of an emergency.
Injury Prevention ENA-WA Jun 13, 2016
As an emergency room nurse, I constantly see young patients that are in either drug abuse, alcohol, or suicidal categories. I wanted to see what could be done to make an impact in my community.
“Conversations that Count” was a town hall meeting held in Snoqualmie, North Bend areas on May 18th 2016. It took a lot of planning and advertising but went off successfully. The event had approx. 150 attendees!
They were surveyed and results showed that:
- 84% agreed, 14% neutral, 2% disagreed that they have a better understanding of drugs and alcohol and the their impacts on a teen brain.
- 77% agreed, 16% neutral, 7% disagreed that they have a better understanding of the signs and symptoms of drug abuse.
- 72% agreed, 20% neutral, 8% disagreed that they had a better understanding of the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.
- 58% agreed, 24%neutral, 20% disagreed, that they had a better understanding of how to talk about substance abuse with someone they are concerned about.
And when attendee’s were asked how many people they would tell about the event the number was 232 people!!!! there will be follow up and more events this summer, fall and next spring. Making the community, business owners, educators along with parents and teens more aware of these critical issues is so important!
It is a lot of work, but if you would like more information on having such an event in your community please contact or email me! marype@snoqualmiehospital.org
It was very excited that things went so well at the Town Hall meeting, and if there is just one less youth ends up in the Emergency Room with these issues, then we helped to make an impact in our community.
Injury Prevention ENA-WA Apr 20, 2016
Washington Department of Heath has developed a Youth Marijuana Prevention Campaign!!
http://www.starttalkingnow.org/listen2yourselfie-partner-toolkit
Its geared to help our youth understand that marijuana can affect your brain, body, and future.
Marijuana messes with your brain’s chemicals,making it harder to learn and remember things. It also messes with your body’s coordination and reaction times, making it harder to drive or play sports. And getting caught with marijuana can get you kicked off sports teams and out of extracurricular clubs. Not to mention getting in trouble with the police or getting grounded. Remember what’s important. Forget marijuana. Learn more about the risks and consequences of marijuana at Listen2YourSelfie.org
Injury Prevention ENA-WA Feb 20, 2016
The Washington Suicide and Prevention plan has been updated on the DOH website with valuable information at your fingertips.
Injury Prevention ENA-WA Feb 20, 2016
WA ENA and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Will be hosting a Communities Talk: Town Hall Meetings to Prevent Underage Drinking 2016 in Snoqualmie, WA this Spring! We have received a stipend and are excited to start planning a great “Town Hall Meeting” in our community.
Please check out the following websites on how you can do the same in your community: www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/townhallmeetings or thme-alerts@lists.stopalcoholabuse.net or if you would like more information please contact your ENA Injury Prevention Chair-Mary Perryman RN CEN at marypyman@gmail.com