Opioid prescribing and potential overdose errors among children 0 to 36 months old.
Basco WT, Ebeling M, Garner SS, et al. Opioid Prescribing and Potential Overdose Errors Among Children 0 to 36 Months Old. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2015;54(8):738-44. doi:10.1177/0009922815586050.
Children are particularly vulnerable to medication errors in the outpatient setting. This study found that prescribing errors were common in opioid pain medications dispensed to children, especially infants. These results suggest that opioid prescriptions for pediatric patients often contain potential overdose quantities and better safeguards are needed to prevent such incidents.