Results of survey on pediatric medication safety—part 1 and part 2.
ISMP Medication Safety Alert! Acute Care Edition. June 4, 2015;20:1-6. July 2, 2015;20:1-5.
Hospitalized children are susceptible to medication errors due to difficulty with weight-based dosing and knowing when patients are experiencing adverse drug effects. This two-part newsletter article reports online survey responses from nearly 1500 clinicians regarding the use of error prevention strategies at the prescribing, dispensing, and administering phases of pediatric medication delivery. Safety practices such as the use of metric units have become well established over a 15-year period, yet practices involving the active role of pharmacists on care units need improvement.