THE ROLE OF THE NURSE IN PREVENTING DOMESTIC ACCIDENTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

Abstract

Introduction: Domestic accidents are one of the leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality, particularly in the age group from zero to six years old. These events, most of which are preventable, represent a serious public health issue that requires effective prevention and health education actions led by the nursing team. Objective: To emphasize the role of nurses in preventing domestic accidents in early childhood, highlighting educational strategies, preventive measures, and health promotion interventions. Materials and Methods: This is an integrative literature review, qualitative and descriptive in nature, conducted in the SciELO, LILACS, BVS, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. Articles published between 2018 and 2025 that addressed the nurse's role in preventing domestic accidents in early childhood were selected. The analysis followed the steps proposed by Whittemore and Knafl (2005), ensuring methodological rigor and reliability of the findings. Results/Discussion: The studies highlighted that the main causes of domestic accidents in children are falls and burns, often related to lack of supervision and inadequacies in the home environment. The role of the nurse was found to be essential in identifying risks and implementing educational actions aimed at caregivers, promoting safer environments. Health education interventions, when continuous and contextualized, had a positive impact on reducing accidents and increasing family awareness. The work emphasizes the importance of nursing as a transformative agent in promoting child safety and training families. Conclusion: It is concluded that nurses play a key role in preventing domestic accidents in early childhood, acting as health educators and mediators between information and safe caregiving practice. Expanding educational actions and public policies focused on early childhood is essential to reducing the incidence of these preventable events.