Assessing Pediatric Nurses' Knowledge About Chemical Flame Retardants.

Chemical flame retardants are routinely applied to children's products and are harmful to their health. Pediatric nurses are in a key position to provide education to caregivers on methods to decrease their children's exposure to these harmful chemicals. However, a critical barrier is the absence of any program to educate nurses about chemical flame retardants. In order to overcome this barrier, we must first assess their knowledge. This article provides key highlights every pediatric nurse should know about chemical flame retardants and reports the results of a knowledge assessment study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to (1) assess pediatric nurses' knowledge of chemical flame retardants, (2) determine what topic areas of chemical flame retardants pediatric nurses lack knowledge in, and (3) determine the best method to educate nurses about chemical flame retardants.

DESIGN AND METHODS: A single sample cross-sectional questionnaire design was used. A total sample of 417 advanced practice registered nurses and registered nurses completed an online survey about chemical flame retardants.

RESULTS: Pediatric nurses' knowledge of chemical flame retardants was low (M=13.4 out of 51). Articles, webinars, and e-mails were the primary preferred methods for education on the subject identified as a result of the survey.

CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric nurses have a large knowledge deficit related to chemical flame retardants. The data collected from this study will help structure future educational formats for pediatric nurses on chemical flame retardants to increase their knowledge.