Introduction

Over 80% of children experience compromise in functioning following a fracture. Digital media may improve caregiver knowledge of managing fracture pain at home.

Objectives

To determine whether an educational video was superior to an interactive web-based module (WBM) and verbal instructions, the standard of care (SOC).

Methods

This randomized trial included caregivers of children 0-17 years presenting to the emergency department (ED) with non-operative fractures. Primary outcome was the gain score (pre-post intervention) on a 21-item questionnaire testing knowledge surrounding pain recognition and management for children with fractures. Secondary outcomes included survey of caregiver confidence in managing pain (five-item Likert scale), number of days with difficulty sleeping, before return to a normal diet, and work/school missed.

Results

We analyzed 311 participants (WBM 99; video 108; SOC 104) with a mean (SD) child age of 9.6 (4.2) years, of which 125/311 (40.2%) were female. The video (delta=2.3, 95% CI: 1.3, 3.3; p

Conclusion

A web-based module and online video are superior to verbal instructions for improving caregiver knowledge on management of children's fracture pain without improvement in functional outcomes.