Email Updates
Adverse drug event detection in pediatric oncology and hematology patients: using medication triggers to identify patient harm in a specialized pediatric patient population.
Call RJ, Burlison JD, Robertson JJ, et al. Adverse drug event detection in pediatric oncology and hematology patients: using medication triggers to identify patient harm in a specialized pediatric patient population. J Pediatr. 2014;165(3):447-52.e4. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.03.033.
To investigate the utility of a trigger tool in detecting adverse drug events (ADEs) in pediatric hematology and oncology patients, this study compared the tool with a voluntary reporting system. Implementation of the trigger tool led to inclusion of many cases that were not ADEs (false positives). In contrast, voluntary reporting did not identify all ADEs that were found using the trigger tool, implying under-reporting. These results reinforce prior research suggesting that multiple detection methods are needed to comprehensively detect ADEs. The authors advocate for triggers to be refined according to patient population and hospital setting to augment their usefulness. A previous AHRQ WebM&M perspective discusses the role of trigger tools in identifying ADEs and measuring patient safety.
