Hospitalized children are particularly vulnerable to specific types of errors, such as medication errors. This Canadian study used a trigger tool approach to estimate the frequency of all types of adverse events in hospitalized children, and found that nearly 1 in 10 pediatric patients suffers an adverse event while hospitalized. This prevalence is similar to classic studies performed in adult populations. Preventable adverse events, which accounted for approximately half of all events, were particularly common in children undergoing surgery or requiring intensive care. Diagnostic errors also accounted for a significant proportion of preventable adverse events. A preventable error in a critically ill 8-month-old child is discussed in an AHRQ WebM&M commentary.

This study describes the development and validation of a web-based tool that allows families to report adverse events during pediatric hospitalizations. The most frequent reports filed were around miscommunication between staff.

A panel of pediatric sedation experts imparts recommendations for standardizing terminology and reporting adverse event data for procedural sedation and analgesia.

The authors describe their application of several safety culture improvement strategies at their hospital and discuss lessons learned.

This study introduced a family-based system for reporting adverse events and discovered a different lens into potential safety issues.