According to the Joint Commission Sentinel Event Alert issued April 11, 2008, medications specifically made for adults and administered to children in health care facilities are putting young patients at greater risk for drug errors. "Research shows that the potential for adverse drug events within the pediatric inpatient population is about three times as high as among hospitalized adults," says Stu Levine, PharmD, Informatics and Pediatric Specialist, Institute for Safe Medication Practices. "For this reason, health care providers must pay special attention to the specific challenges relating to the pediatric population."
The Sentinel Event Alert urges greater attention to precautions such as medication standardization, improved medication identification and communication techniques, as well as the use of kilograms as the standard weight measurement to calculate proper dosages. Joint Commission Resources has the following tools and services to help educate your organization on this very important topic.
Consulting ServicesPediatric Patient Safety in the Emergency Department
Customized pediatric care solutions for your ED
Our Pediatric Safety in the Emergency Department Consulting Service provides you with an affordable, systematic, and comprehensive approach to enhancing ED services provided to children. JCR's team of pediatric and emergency medicine consultants are knowledgeable in current evidence-based practice, and possess years of clinical and administrative experience. They will work with your ED team to focus on key areas in the assessment and planning process.
Audio Conferences
Pediatric Safety Issues in the Emergency Department
One out of every four patients seen in U.S. emergency departments is a child. In this 90-minute audio conference Karen Frush, MD, Chief Patient Safety Officer, Duke University Health System and Vice Chair of Strategic Initiatives, Department of Pediatrics, will discuss the unique aspects of pediatric care that may contribute to an increased risk of medical errors in emergency departments including such issues as lack of standardized dosing, variations in the pediatric age range, inability of young children to provide a medical history or clearly communicate complaints, and the unique physical and developmental characteristics of children that may affect treatment strategies and medication regimens.
Medication Management: Pediatric Medication
November 8, 2008
The safe administration of medications to hospitalized infants and children requires additional safeguards that go above and beyond those of the adult patient. Pharmacists, physicians, nurses, and hospital leadership must develop effective programs, policies, and guidelines to ensure an overall environment of medication safety for our pediatric population. In this 90-minute audio conference,
Timothy Lesar, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy, Albany Medical Center will address medication errors common to pediatric facilities, system deficiencies that can contribute to medication errors, education programs that reduce the risk of errors, the use of automation, and additional strategies designed to safeguard this special population.
Books
The Nurse's Role in Medication SafetyWritten especially for nurses, this new book focuses on the hands-on role nurses play in the delivery of care and their unique opportunity and responsibility to identify potential medication safety issues. It provides nurses with practical strategies and real-life examples to improve medication safety. In addition, there is a chapter dedicated to helping nurses reduce the risk of pediatric medication errors.
Book/CD
Coming Soon!
Pediatric Patient Safety in the Emergency Department
Co-published by JCR and The American Academy of Pediatrics
According to the
Journal of Emergency Nursing, approximately 60,000 children seek emergency care each day in the U.S. General and community hospitals not specializing in pediatric care will benefit from the strategies, case studies, examples, and practical tools made available in this book and CD.
Articles from JCR PeriodicalsPediatric Safety in Emergencies: What Health Care Organizations Can Do to Keep Children Safe
Patient Safety Rounds in a Pediatric Tertiary Care Center
Reducing Pediatric Medication Errors
Improving Outcomes in Pediatric Procedural Sedation
Chris Evert Children's Hospital at Broward General Medical Center Improves Outcomes in Pediatric Sedation, Complies with Standard PC.13.20
Read The Joint Commission's Sentinel Event Alert #39 regarding preventing pediatric medication errors.