The impact of community-built playgrounds on the community.

BACKGROUND: Community-built playgrounds have been an integral component of Injury Free Coalition for Kids sites as they work with communities to provide safe places for children to play. The purpose of this pilot survey was to explore the potential impact of the community-built playground on the community. METHODS: A survey was developed and sent electronically via an Injury Free listserve to the Injury Free sites that had built one of the 29 Injury Free playgrounds between 2002 and 2007. Variables examined included condition and maintenance of the playground, vandalism, and community participation. Open-ended questions were used to examine the impact of the playground on the community and school. Descriptive statistics were used to describe quantitative data. Open-ended responses were collated and grouped into themes. RESULTS: Surveys were returned from 28 Allstate playground sites. The playgrounds were built within the last 6 years with the majority (64%) built 3 or more years ago. Although 17 of the playgrounds sustained minor vandalism, 11 of the sites reported the vandalism was corrected by the community. Community impact themes centered on revitalization and empowerment, safety, and social capital changes whereas school impact themes centered on socialization and health. CONCLUSIONS: From the perspective of the program coordinators, the playgrounds had a positive impact on the communities. Further research within this arena is needed to explore the relationship of community-built playgrounds and community development.

Analysis of nonfatal dog bites in children.

BACKGROUND: Dog bites are a significant public health problem among children. The purpose of this study was to examine the hospital incidence, hospital charges, and characteristics of dog bite injuries among children by age group and hospitalization status who were treated at our health care system to guide prevention programs and policies. METHODS: An electronic hospital database identified all patients younger than 18 years who were treated for dog bites from 1999 to 2006. Demographics, injury information, hospital admission status, length of stay, hospital charges, and payer source were collected. A further review of the narrative part of the inpatient electronic database was examined to identify owner of the dog, type of dog, and circumstances surrounding the incident. RESULTS: During 8 years, 1,347 children younger than 18 years were treated for dog bites. The majority were treated and released from the emergency department (91%). Of the 66 children (4.9%) requiring inpatient admission, the median length of stay was 2 days. Victims were frequently male (56.9%) and <8 years (55.2%). Children younger than 5 years represented 34% of all dog bite victims, but 50% of all children requiring hospitalization. Thirty-seven percent of all children admitted to the hospital were bitten by a family dog. The cost of direct medical care during the study was $2.15 million. CONCLUSION: Dog bite visits comprised 1.5% of all pediatric injuries treated in our hospital system during the study period. The majority (91%) of all dog bite visits were treated and released from the emergency department. Injuries to the head/neck region increased the odds of requiring 23 hour observation (OR, 1.95) and age less than 5 years increased the odds of being admitted as an inpatient (OR, 3.3).

Developing and using online courses to prepare nurses for employment in critical care.

Using online courses is one way to simplify orientation programs and leverage educator resources. Three critical care courses were created using a distributed authoring model with geographically diverse clinical experts. A companion online orientation course prepares preceptors to assist with clinical application. Course outcomes include preparation for practice, career mobility/advancement, and learner satisfaction.