Sentinel Event Alert 39
Prevent Pediatric Medication Errors
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.
Read the full version of Sentinel Event Alert 39»
Joint Commission Resources has the following tools and services to help educate your organization on this very important topic.
Book
Pediatric Patient Safety in the Emergency Department
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
Pediatric 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