A qualitative evaluation of the post accident notification system to health visitors.

Childhood accidental injuries are a major public health problem, whether measured in terms of morbidity or mortality, and accident prevention is subsequently a priority issue. The Accident and Emergency Notification System to health visitors provides them with vital information and statistics with which to plan accident prevention work, both on an individual basis or in group work. This small study aimed to look at this system from the health visitor's perspective and explore the action taken. The grounded theory approach was used to uncover the processes used by the health visitors. Data were collected using unstructured interviews and by writing notes. These were transcribed on the same day as recorded. Nine categories were identified and an analysis of the processes involved when receiving the notification slip is presented. The categories included 'knowing the family', 'age and development', 'pressure of work' and 'gut feeling/extra sensory perception'. This study is a small contribution to our understanding of the processes involved in everyday health visiting practice.