An evaluation of the effectiveness of the Injury Minimization Programme for Schools (IMPS)

Abstract

Objective - To evaluate the effect of an injury prevention programme (Injury Minimization Programme for Schools, IMPS) on children's primary and secondary prevention, and basic life support, knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviour. Design - Prospective non-randomised matched control. Setting - Radcliffe NHS Trust and primary and middle schools in Oxfordshire, UK. Subjects - 1200 year 6 children (10 and 11 years old); 600 received IMPS, a primary and secondary injury prevention programme taught in the school and hospital environments; 600 children in the control group received no planned intervention. Main outcome measures - Safety knowledge, measured using a quiz. Resuscitation skills and behaviour observed and assessed using a simulated emergency scenario. Attitude and hypothetical behaviour towards safety assessed by the "draw and write" technique. Results - Before intervention, both groups had similar levels of knowledge. Five months after the intervention, significantly more IMPS trained children demonstrated a greater increase in knowledge in administering first aid and the correct procedure for making a call to the emergency services. They also demonstrated better basic life support techniques - for example, mouth-to-mouth and cardiac compressions. They identified more subtle dangers, were more likely to seek help, and tell others that their behaviour was dangerous. Conclusion - The results demonstrate the benefits of the IMPS programme on injury prevention knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours.