The Swim Professor

Jim Reiser, M.S.

Have You Seen that the American Academy of Pediatrics UPDATED their Guidelines?

Pediatric Drowning Prevention Guidelines Updated

By Chris Emery, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today
Published: May 24, 2010
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and
Dorothy Caputo, MA, RN, BC-ADM, CDE, Nurse Planner
Action Points  


  • Note that the American Academy of Pediatrics has updated guidelines to prevent childhood drowning.
  • Explain the risks involved with inflatable and portable pools to interested parents.

With summer around the corner, the American Academy of Pediatrics has released updated information and recommendations on water safety and drowning prevention for children.In a new policy statement and technical report published online May 24 in Pediatrics, an academy committee suggested a range of precautionary measures, including child-proofing of backyard pools, enrolling children in swimming lessons, and installation of devices to prevent children from becoming entrapped by pool and spa drains. The new guidelines were accompanied by a technical report that provided more detailed background information.

“The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has decided to revise this policy statement because of new information and research regarding the World Health Organization’s classification of drowning, drain-entrapment and hair-entanglement injuries, dangers of inflatable and portable pools, and the possible benefit of swimming lessons for young children,” Jeffrey Weiss, MD, and other members of the AAP committee wrote.

To read the rest of the article, go to Med Page Today.

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May 24, 2010 at 7:36 pm Comments (0)