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Managing drugs safely

John N van den Anker1

  • 1George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, United States. jvandena@cnmc.org

Seminars in Fetal & Neonatal Medicine
|February 9, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Newborn infants face higher risks of adverse drug reactions. Legislation now aims to improve pediatric drug safety, necessitating blame-free adverse event reporting and electronic order entry to prevent medication errors.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal pharmacology
  • Pediatric drug safety
  • Health policy

Background:

  • Newborn infants exhibit a higher susceptibility to adverse drug reactions compared to adults.
  • Historical drug legislation overlooked neonates until the Best Pharmaceuticals Act for Children in 2002.
  • Increased prescribing of licensed drugs for neonates is anticipated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the critical need for improved drug safety in neonates.
  • To advocate for systems that support the analysis of drug-related errors.
  • To emphasize the importance of a blame-free environment for reporting adverse drug events.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing data on neonatal adverse drug reactions.
  • Analysis of legislative history concerning pediatric drug safety.
  • Discussion of potential system improvements for medication safety.

Main Results:

  • Neonates are disproportionately affected by adverse drug events.
  • The Best Pharmaceuticals Act for Children marked a significant shift in pediatric drug safety policy.
  • Systemic improvements are crucial for enhancing medication safety in neonates.

Conclusions:

  • Enhanced reporting of adverse drug events in a blame-free setting is essential for neonates.
  • Computerized physician order entry systems offer a promising solution to prevent medication errors.
  • Proactive measures are required to ensure the safe and effective use of medications in the neonatal population.

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