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IPH | Education & preventive measures to avoid severe accidents in children and adolescents

Anastassios Hatzis

The Institute of Public Health (IPH), The American College of Greece, organized an online event about the education and preventive measures to avoid severe accidents in children and adolescents on Wednesday, January 20, 2021. The event featured a presentation by Anastassios Hatzis, Pediatric Intensivist, Former PICU Director “Agia Sofia” Children’s Hospital, Athens, Greece.

Did you know that accident-related injuries are the leading cause of children’s death in developed countries, including Greece and that 80% of serious household accidents occur at the inside of the home, mostly in the living room and the bedroom?

Dr Hatzis pointed out that suffocation, drowning, poisoning, burns, falls and violence can endanger the life of children and adolescents or even cause them permanent disabilities. Statistic data on serious accidents show that the majority of accidents (63%) happen while children play, especially at home and less outside i.e. in schools, playgrounds or other venues.

Adopting precautionary and protection measures, such as educate adults both parents and teachers to learn how to give first aid and apply the Heimlich maneuver, create safe spaces, increase targeted supervision of teachers both in the classroom and during breaks, could lead to a significant decrease in accidents. Concerning health services, Greece needs additional pediatric intensive care units, in order to accommodate proper and immediate treatment.

For more information, you may read the press release of the event (in Greek) as well as watch the video of the lecture here.