Slips and Falls Most Frequent Cause of Bathtub Injuries Despite Adult Supervision

Newswise — Of the three most common bathtub-related injuries as outlined by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)—scalding, drowning and slips and falls—a new study from the Columbus Children's Research Institute (CCRI) on the campus of Columbus Children's Hospital has shown that slips and falls are the most common, accounting for more than 80 percent of childhood bathtub injuries. Further, in 85 percent of bathtub-related injuries among children younger than five years, adult supervision was present at the time of the incident. The findings were published in the May issue of Clinical Pediatrics. Injuries were most common to the head or face, and lacerations were the most common type, accounting for more than two-thirds of injuries. "Because so many of the injuries occurred while an adult was present, we need to look to passive methods of prevention, ones that don't rely on adult action, such as more effective slip-resistant bathtub surfaces," said Gary Smith, M.D., Dr.P.H., director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at CCRI and a faculty member at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. The study points out that the current voluntary standard for slip-resistance in bathtubs, last updated by the industry in 1999, is in need of reevaluation. Specifically, the large number of slip and fall injuries argues for exploring a higher coefficient of friction standard for bathtub surfaces and for testing the effectiveness of the revised standard in real-world situations. However, Smith adds there are still other ways the industry and others can prevent injuries due to bathtub slips and falls, including installing slip-resistant surfaces outside the tub, using more impact-absorbent materials for tub surfaces, padding or eliminating sharp edges, and using recessed fittings.

For the study, researchers examined medical records of patients, who received emergency treatment for a bathtub-related injury during a three-year period. Patients' parents were then contacted to gather additional information needed for the study, but not available in the medical records. The study looked at 204 children between the ages of four months and 16 years.

Columbus Children's ranks among the top 10 in National Institutes of Health research awards and grants to freestanding children's hospitals in the country and houses the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. With nearly 600,000 patient visits each year, Children's Hospital is a 112-year-old pediatric healthcare network treating newborns through age 21. In 2004, the Columbus Children's Research Institute conducted more than 300 research projects and is the home of Centers of Emphasis encompassing gene therapy; molecular and human genetics; vaccines and immunity; childhood cancer; cell and vascular biology; developmental pharmacology and toxicology; injury research and policy; microbial pathogenesis; cardiovascular medicine; and biobehavioral health. Pediatric Clinical Trials International (PCTI), a site management organization affiliated with the hospital, also coordinated more than 50 clinical trials. In addition to having one of the largest ambulatory programs in the country, Children's offers specialty programs and services. More than 75,000 consumers receive health and wellness education each year and affiliation agreements with nearly 100 institutions allow more than 1,700 students and 500 residents to receive training at Children's annually. More information on Children's Hospital of Columbus is available by calling (614) 722-KIDS (5437) or through the hospital's Web site at http://www.columbuschildrens.com.