Unintentional Injuries In Children: Are Our Homes Safe?

Unintentional injuries are a leading cause of death in childhood globally. Injuries lead to emotional trauma and financial burden for children, parents, and society. Here are the frequencies of unintentional injuries in children presented to the emergency and paediatric surgery clinics of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from January to December 2012. Aretrospective chart review of children aged 0 day to 14 years presented with falls, burns, foreign body ingestion or inhalation, poisoning, fingers caught in doors, electrocution injuries and drowning, was conducted. Atotal of 165 children were included. Domestic injuries were frequently occurring injuries in our set-up which could be prevented by doing small adjustments to make the home safe for children.