Buckle Me Up!: a Digital Emergency Department Discharge Intervention for Child Car Safety

This study explores the utility of a tablet computer‐based, individually‐tailored technology called Computer Intervention Authoring Software (CIAS) in the Emergency Department for discharge education on proper child car restraint safety. The investigators hypothesize that tablet‐based, individually‐tailored discharge instructions are more effective than current standard, one‐size‐fits‐all, printed discharge instructions. This is a randomized, controlled, non‐blinded trial of a convenience sample of 200 children age 0‐21 years old who present to the Hasbro Children's Hospital Emergency Department by car and have access to a smartphone and/or email. Patients will be randomized to receive either (a) a brief tablet‐based questionnaire followed by standard, paper discharge instructions or (b) a brief tablet‐based questionnaire followed by the intervention ‐ CIAS, a computer program that allows families to interact with a tablet computer to receive educational information customized to the patient. Children 13 years old and above will answer questions themselves instead of having their parent/guardian answer for them. Both group will be offered information for the Lifespan Injury Prevention Center's Kohl's Car Seat Program. Both groups will complete a questionnaire on the usefulness of their discharge education. One week after discharge, participants in both groups will receive an automatic text message and/or email message with a link to a web‐based survey that will assess: knowledge of appropriate car restraints and whether the parent/patient engaged in any behavioral changes regarding child car restraint. These variables will be compared between the control and intervention groups.