Infant Safe Sleep in Pediatric Emergency Depratment

Safe sleep recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) are designed toreduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep‐related infantdeaths. These recommendations include placing infants on their backs to sleep, using acrib or bassinet, avoiding soft bedding, and not sharing a sleep space with other people.Many families do not consistently follow all recommended safe sleep practices,particularly when infants are sick. Research has shown that educational programs providedin pediatric emergency departments can improve some safe sleep behaviors, butimprovements have been limited and may not continue over time. Additional strategies areneeded to help families adopt and maintain safe sleep practices.The purpose of this study is to determine whether a daily safe sleep tracking tool, usedtogether with brief safe sleep education, can improve caregivers' adherence torecommended safe sleep practices compared with education alone. The information learnedfrom this study may help healthcare providers develop more effective ways to promote safesleep and reduce the risk of sleep‐related infant deaths.