Don't take down the monkey bars: Rapid systematic review of playground-related injuries.

OBJECTIVE

To synthesize the available evidence on playground-related injuries and to determine the prevalence of these injuries in pediatric populations.

DATA SOURCES

A rapid systematic review was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library, as well as the gray literature.

STUDY SELECTION

The search was limited to studies published between 2012 and 2016 and identified a total of 858 articles, of which 22 met our inclusion criteria: original quantitative studies published in peer-reviewed journals in the past 5 years, concerning unintentional injuries in playgrounds in children aged 0 to 18 years.

SYNTHESIS

Information was collected on study and injury characteristics, and the proportion of pediatric injuries related to playground activity was determined. Studies were performed in various countries and most were retrospective cohort studies. The prevalence of playground-related injury ranged from 2% to 34% (median 10%). Studies varied in the types of injuries investigated, including head injuries, genitourinary injuries, ocular and dental trauma, and various types of fractures. Most injuries were low severity.

CONCLUSION

Although playgrounds are a common location where pediatric injuries occur, these injuries are relatively low in frequency and severity.