Increasing Parental Knowledge on Safe Sleep Practices for Infants Aged 0-12 months

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to determine if providing evidence-based guidelines to parents of infants aged 0-12 months at Village Pediatrics would increase parental knowledge of the current recommendations for safe sleep practices.Background. Sleep-related deaths remain a persistent problem in the United States despite the evidence-based recommendations on safe sleep practice. Injuries related to sleep continue to be the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for children aged 0-12 months. Around 3,500 infants die suddenly from sleep-related injuries. Primary care providers are in the unique position to provide evidence-based educational materials in the form of a written handout to parents to improve knowledge on safe sleep recommendations for infants. Methods. This project utilized a quantitative design at a single site with a pretest-posttest educational intervention to assess for increased knowledge following the educational intervention. Participants of infants aged 0-12 months were recruited via convenience sampling at Village Pediatrics, a pediatric primary care office in Issaquah, Washington. Results. 10 eligible participants consented to complete the pretest survey, educational intervention, and posttest survey. Data analysis determined that providing parents with an evidence-based educational handout showed a statistically significant increase in knowledge on safe sleep recommendations (p <0.05). Conclusions. This quality improvement project demonstrated the impact that evidence-based educational materials have on improving knowledge on safe sleep recommendations. Parents of infants aged 0-12 months were recruited with the aim to increase knowledge on safe sleep recommendations.