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[Medication errors in pediatrics: analysis of nursing records on the patient chart]

Liliane Rodrigues Melo1, Mavilde Luz Gonçalves Pedreira

  • 1Departamento de Enfermagem da UNIFESP.

Revista Brasileira De Enfermagem
|December 13, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Medication errors in pediatric wards were analyzed, revealing numerous documentation gaps. Omission errors were most common, highlighting the need for improved training and management tools to enhance patient safety.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric healthcare quality
  • Medication safety research
  • Clinical documentation analysis

Context:

  • Study conducted in three pediatric wards of a university hospital.
  • Analysis focused on medical charts of admitted children.
  • Investigated medication errors within the care process documentation.

Purpose:

  • To verify medication errors in pediatric patient charts.
  • To identify and categorize types of medication errors.
  • To assess the frequency and nature of errors in drug and solution orders.

Summary:

  • A descriptive and correlational study analyzed 68 medical charts, identifying 1717 medication errors (21.1% of ordered doses).
  • Omission errors, including dose and record omissions, constituted the most frequent category (75.7%).
  • Identified errors primarily represented documentation gaps, not directly compromising patient safety.

Impact:

  • Findings underscore the necessity for continuous education for healthcare professionals.
  • Highlights the need for implementing robust management tools for practice development.
  • Emphasizes the importance of results monitoring to improve medication safety and care processes.

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