Parent education by maternity nurses and prevention of abusive head trauma.

Objective: A consortium of the 19 community hospitals and 1 tertiary care children's hospital that provide maternity care in the New York State Hudson Valley region implemented a program to teach parents about the dangers of shaking infants and how to cope safely with an infant's crying. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the program in reducing the frequency of shaking injuries.

Methods: The educational program, which was delivered by maternity nurses, included a leaflet explaining abusive head trauma ("shaken baby syndrome") and how to prevent it, an 8-minute video on the subject, and a statement signed by parents acknowledging receipt of the information and agreeing to share it with others who will care for the infant.