Harmful medication errors in children: a 5-year analysis of data from the USP's MEDMARX program

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Patient Safety
• Medication Error Analysis
• Health System Quality Improvement

Background:

• Harmful pediatric medication errors are a significant concern in healthcare settings.
• Identifying specific medications involved is crucial for effective error prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze data from a medication error reporting system to identify medications frequently associated with harmful pediatric outcomes.
• To understand the types of errors and therapeutic classes most commonly involved in pediatric medication errors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the voluntary Medication Errors Reporting System (MEDMARX).
• Analyzed 816 harmful outcomes linked to 242 different medications over a 5-year period.
• Identified specific medications and therapeutic classes contributing to errors.

Main Results:

• Eleven medications accounted for 34.5% (n=261) of all reported harmful pediatric medication errors.
• Common error types included wrong dosing and omissions.
• Opioid analgesics, antimicrobial agents, and antidiabetic agents were frequently implicated.

Conclusions:

• Despite advances, older, commonly used medications remain a substantial source of harmful pediatric medication errors.
• Patient safety initiatives should prioritize these high-risk medications and error types.
• Targeted interventions are needed to reduce pediatric medication errors and improve patient outcomes.