by Dea

Created on: July 13, 2008

To keep a baby safe under all circumstances, the following aspects of emergency need to be reflecting on. Firstly, what is an accident? Secondly, what are those major psychological principles contributing to an accident? Thirdly, is there any way of preventing accident to happen?

The science of psychology defining accident as follows:
"Accident occurs when risk inherent in a system combine with circumstances to cause an unaccepted set of events from which harm ensues."

The following real life accident will further elaborate on this scientific definition.
In a family living room a mother is breast-feeding her baby. Her husband is making tea, while an older brother is playing with a ball. The husband is handing a cup of tea to the mother, she is holding the baby on one arm and drinking tea with the free one. The next minute the brother kicking the ball towards the mother, the ball hitting her cup and the hot liquid is spilling all over the baby's head. Large blisters are appearing on the burned surface of the face, the baby fails to cry, the father is calling for an ambulance.

Before pointing the finger to the villain, several psychological principles will be listed for making the right judgement.

Luck of skill or knowledge

The unsafe practices in the family environment is obvious, burning the baby's face with hot tea is depicting a high degree of incompetence.
Breast feeding is a sacred act of sacrifice, which deserving a place of its own. It is also a time for bonding with the baby. The baby's room can be a good place, sitting in a comfortable chair, listening to good music and being one with the baby.

Carelessness

Failing to take precautions is a facet of carelessness. It is possible that the family is living in a single room but holding a hot drink in one hand while breast feeding is carelessness. Furthermore, letting the older child to play with the ball is failing to provide a safe environment.

Recklessness

Recklessness is the principle of will-fully ignoring risk or even actively seeking it. It is questionable that letting the older child playing in the room was absent mindedness or a complete disregard for the baby's safety.

Negligence

Negligence is the summarising concept for all of the above.

Bad luck

Bad luck is also a facet of the psychological principles however, science failing to elaborate on it.

There is no information leaflet is given to the new mother, on how to safe guard a baby, in the same time she is equipped with vast amount of inherent knowledge to care for her baby.
Mothers and care givers of the baby will provide their best when the social milieu is highly correlated with the well-developed human characteristics.
From that, social disintegration is the cradle of most of those emergencies that children's hospital are dealing with on a regular basis.

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