Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that virtual car seat installation assistance can provide an acceptable and effective alternative to in-person instruction, achieving a 100% correct installation rate among participating families following the virtual intervention. The findings were published recently in the Journal of Trauma Nursing.
Motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of preventable death for children in the United States. Child safety seats have proven to reduce injury risk up to 82%. However, car seat misuse continues to pose a serious risk across the U.S.
“Installing a car seat properly is a crucial step caregivers can take to protect children,” said Gina Duchossois, MS, a lead study author and the Injury Prevention Manager and Safe Kids Coalition Chair at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Our findings show that virtual car seat installation sessions are a powerful option for families with limited access to in-person service. They offer a flexible and effective way to protect children on the road.”
In the study, researchers evaluated a program from 2020 to 2022 in which Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs) guided 375 parents and caregivers through car seat installations using secure video calls. Most participants were first time parents with a wide range of cars and car seats brands.
Of the total participants, 129 families completed post-session surveys. Before the virtual session, 43% of caregivers reported confidence in their installation. Following virtual coaching, parental satisfaction and overall confidence in child safety seat installation were high, with all participants demonstrating the correct installation of their chosen child safety seat, marking a significant improvement.
The researchers noted that these results indicate that neither vehicle type nor child safety seat brand independently influenced pre-instruction installation accuracy. The authors also said that while results are encouraging, larger studies are needed to confirm the long-term benefits of virtual instruction and to directly compare virtual car seat installation’s effectiveness to existing in-person options.
Duchossois et al. “Virtual Car Seat Installation Program Evaluation: Parent Satisfaction and Installation Accuracy.” Journal of Trauma Nursing. Online March 6, 2025. DOI: 10.1097/JTN.0000000000000835.
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Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that virtual car seat installation assistance can provide an acceptable and effective alternative to in-person instruction, achieving a 100% correct installation rate among participating families following the virtual intervention. The findings were published recently in the Journal of Trauma Nursing.
Motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of preventable death for children in the United States. Child safety seats have proven to reduce injury risk up to 82%. However, car seat misuse continues to pose a serious risk across the U.S.
“Installing a car seat properly is a crucial step caregivers can take to protect children,” said Gina Duchossois, MS, a lead study author and the Injury Prevention Manager and Safe Kids Coalition Chair at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Our findings show that virtual car seat installation sessions are a powerful option for families with limited access to in-person service. They offer a flexible and effective way to protect children on the road.”
In the study, researchers evaluated a program from 2020 to 2022 in which Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs) guided 375 parents and caregivers through car seat installations using secure video calls. Most participants were first time parents with a wide range of cars and car seats brands.
Of the total participants, 129 families completed post-session surveys. Before the virtual session, 43% of caregivers reported confidence in their installation. Following virtual coaching, parental satisfaction and overall confidence in child safety seat installation were high, with all participants demonstrating the correct installation of their chosen child safety seat, marking a significant improvement.
The researchers noted that these results indicate that neither vehicle type nor child safety seat brand independently influenced pre-instruction installation accuracy. The authors also said that while results are encouraging, larger studies are needed to confirm the long-term benefits of virtual instruction and to directly compare virtual car seat installation’s effectiveness to existing in-person options.
Duchossois et al. “Virtual Car Seat Installation Program Evaluation: Parent Satisfaction and Installation Accuracy.” Journal of Trauma Nursing. Online March 6, 2025. DOI: 10.1097/JTN.0000000000000835.
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