Running Head: PEDIATRIC FIRST-AID: A Parenting Guide Mehtap Yercel

PEDIATRIC FIRST-AID:​ ​A Parenting Guide

Mehtap Yercel

3B Magnet STEM

Mrs. Hess

May 29, 2019

PEDIATRIC FIRST-AID: A Parenting Guide Mehtap Yercel

Introduction

The art of life-saving, formally known as performing First-Aid, is an essential aspect of

the medical field. However, First-Aid does not only apply to those who are in a hospital setting.

It is crucial for everyone to know the basics of First-Aid in order to treat injuries and potentially

save a life, especially for parents in case of an emergency with their children. Many previous

studies have proven that a majority of the parents greatly lack crucial basic First-Aid knowledge.

In order to locally address this problem, a plan was created to produce a platform that would

inform many local parents on the First-Aid knowledge they lack. The idea of creating a brochure

was chosen upon the discovery of a study conducted by Kuwait University on the benefits of

providing information to parents through brochures, which found that simple brochures helped

increase the retainment of information in parents by a significant amount (Al-Asfour &

Andersson, 2008). Rather than simply providing information, the pediatric first-aid brochure was

designed to inform parents on basic first-aid knowledge through engaging instructions and many

visual aids, creating an attractive and informative way to successfully communicate information.

Discussion

A study conducted in 2015 presented the parents of 3-7-year-olds with a questionnaire to

test their basic injury treatment knowledge (Bánfai, Deutsch, Pék, Radnai & Betlehem). As a

result, it was concluded that only about 4.3% of the parents correctly answered the entirety of the

questionnaire, exhibiting results that are truly concerning. In addition, a survey conducted by

Mother & Baby​ magazine in the UK found that 72% of parents did not know simple yet

lifesaving first-aid procedures, further highlighting the tragic lack of knowledge among parents

(“Shocking Statistics for,” n.d.). The plan to create a brochure to address this problem was
PEDIATRIC FIRST-AID: A Parenting Guide Mehtap Yercel

supported by local demographics presenting children to make up about 23% of the local

population (Virginia Department of, 2016), further proving the necessity for parents informed on

pediatric first-aid. Through research was conducted in order to determine the information that

would be put into the brochure. Inspiration was taken from a 2004 study showing a particular

lack of knowledge about the treatment of insect stings/bites and wounds among parents (Singer,

Gulla, Thode & Cronin). In addition, animal bite statistics presented on EMS Safety Services’

website (“First Aid 101,” n.d.) as well as recommendations from Dr. Michele Wadsworth, a local

pediatrician, were also considered, and in the end the topics of “Cuts and Bruises,” “Animal

Bites and Insect Stings,” “Allergies,” “Sunburns,” and “Fractures and Sprains” were included in

the brochure. The brochure was designed on paper and created using Adobe Photoshop CS5. The

initial design of the brochure seemed confusing with a lot of information and visuals, therefore

the brochure was redesigned to be much simpler with fewer visuals and more concise

instructions. All of the visuals included in the brochure were hand drawn. Initially, many visuals

were drawn with different background colors; however, upon further consideration, it was

realized that the background color would disrupt the theme of the brochure and the visuals were

redrawn on a white background. The brochure cover was also redesigned to look more appealing

to the eye in order to attract more readers. Upon completion, the brochure was electronically sent

out to Dr. Wadsworth as well as many local parents with young children. Although no feedback

was obtained from Dr. Wadsworth due to time constraints, the parents provided many helpful

comments about the brochure. When asked if they liked the presentation of the brochure, many

parents answered positively, stating that the simple but colorful presentation of the brochure

attracted their attention, which prompted them to read the information within. Additionally,
PEDIATRIC FIRST-AID: A Parenting Guide Mehtap Yercel

when asked if they were able to follow along to the brochure, many parents once again replied

positively by saying the instructions were clear, easy to follow, and memorable. The feedback

obtained from the target audience was encouraging, proving that the design of the brochure was

successful in its task of informing parents on basic pediatric first-aid procedures. However, the

feedback also confirmed the severe lack of knowledge among parents as many who were

questioned for this project admitted they learned many things from the brochure they did not

know previously.

Conclusion

Overall, this project proved itself to be very successful as an immediate and demanding

problem was locally addressed through a digitally designed brochure and positive feedback was

received from many different parties that were interviewed about the brochure. The feedback

received confirmed the lack of pediatric first-aid knowledge among many parents, however; it

also proved the benefits of a simple brochure in effectively communicating information. The

information included in the brochure was found to be useful by all questioned parents and many

also gave compliments on the aesthetic design, stating the attractive design prompted them to

read further into the brochure. Although this project presented valuable data, it was extremely

limited to the local community of Virginia Beach and lacked professional feedback. For a

broader understanding of the topics addressed within this project as well as a better account of

the success of the first-aid brochure, a much more widespread experiment would need to be

conducted to eliminate unintentional bias and ensure clear results. In addition, professional

feedback would also need to be obtained to optimize the accuracy of the contained information.
PEDIATRIC FIRST-AID: A Parenting Guide Mehtap Yercel

References

Al-Asfour, A., Andersson, L. (2008). The effect of a leaflet given to parents for first aid

measures after tooth avulsion [Abstract]. ​Dental Traumatology, 24​(5), 515.

Https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-9657.2008.00651.x

Bánfai, B., Deutsch K., Pék E., Radnai B., Betlehem J. (2015). Accident prevention and first aid

knowledge among preschool children’s parents. ​Journal of Nursing and Social Sciences

Related To Health And Illness, 17, ​e42-e47.

Https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kontakt.2015.01.001

First Aid 101. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.emssafetyservices.com/how-to/first-aid-101/#G

Shocking Statistics for Child First Aid Incidents. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://spearheadelearning.com/shocking-statistics-child-first-aid-incidents/

Singer, A.J., Gulla, J., Thode, H.C., Cronin, K.A. (2004). Pediatric First Aid Knowledge Among

Parents. ​Pediatric Emergency Care, 20(​ 12), 808-811. doi:

10.1097/01.pec.0000148028.53598.5c

Virginia Department of Health. (2016). ​Virginia Beach Community Health Assessment [​ Data

File]. Retrieved from

http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/131/2017/02/2016-Com

munity-Health-Profile.pdf

Wadsworth, M. (2019, May 16-29). Email.