The nurse's role in pediatric injury prevention.

Nurses can play a major role in injury prevention. Nurses are, by nature, educators and role models to their families, patients, and communities. Knowing the magnitude and impact of injuries on both children and their families, nurses must become more informed about the necessity of injury prevention. They must also help to initiate and develop prevention strategies that will decrease the number and severity of these injuries. There is a connection between clinical work and advocacy. Nurses see the pain and problems created by injuries. They can become effective advocates for injury prevention because the strongest advocacy is created by those closest to the problem and most aware of what is needed. Nurses need to become involved in identifying unsafe products and environments and testifying before regulatory and legislative bodies for safety-related design changes. Nurses need to continue to develop their professional influence by using a multidisciplinary approach to injury prevention. This approach should include health professionals and representatives from the community, the legal profession, law enforcement, regulatory agencies, and both engineers and manufacturers.