Evaluation of parents’ awareness about the serious danger related to disc battery ingestion in children

Objective Disc battery (DB) ingestion is a potentially life-threatening pediatric emergency that requires prompt recognition, timely medical evaluation and urgent management to prevent severe complications. This study aimed to evaluate parents' awareness and knowledge of the risks associated with pediatric DB ingestion. Study design A cross-sectional, survey-based study was conducted between March 1 and July 31, 2024, at Santobono-Pausilipon Children's Hospital (Naples, Italy), and at the offices of four primary care pediatricians in Italy. We submitted a 14-item questionnaire to 250 parents of children followed-up for well-child visits and subsequently analysed pooled data derived from their answers. Results 209/250 (83.6%) parents do not recognize DBs as a dangerous foreign body whenever ingested. Among the different kind of commercially available batteries, only 50/250 (20%) parents consider DBs as the most dangerous. 181/250 (72.4%) parents never heard about the possible risks related to DBs ingestion. Of those who responded that they had heard about the topic, 9/69 (13%) parents claim to have been informed by their pediatrician. In addition, 172/250 (68.8%) parents state that they have never implemented preventive measures at home. Conclusions Our data show a very impressive lack of parental knowledge about the risk associated with DB ingestion in children. Many cases of ingestion could probably be prevented if large-scale information campaigns would increase the general population awareness about this source of serious danger to the health and even life of children. Clinical trial number Not applicable.