CINCINNATI, May 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. study found parents use baby gates and bath thermometers less than 25 percent of the time, and researchers say pediatricians are partially to blame.
Researchers in emergency medicine at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center studied 140 parents who had their child evaluated by a primary-care physician for a routine examination at four to six months old.
The majority of parents surveyed in the Pediatric Primary Care Center at Cincinnati Children's reported being educated about safety devices for less than five minutes, with the average length of education being 3.7 minutes. Of these, baby gates, window guards and bath thermometers were discussed 35 percent of the time or less while 54 percent of parents recalled being educated about smoke detectors. Car seats were most commonly discussed at 75 percent of the time.
"To prevent unnecessary trips to the emergency room, primary care providers should thoroughly discuss all recommended safety devices with parents," lead author Dr. Winnie Whitaker told the Pediatric Academic Society.
However, parents surveyed by Whitaker say that only happens in less than one out of every three cases.
