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High-alert medications in a French paediatric university hospital

Julie Bataille1, Sonia Prot-Labarthe, Olivier Bourdon

  • 1Hôpital Robert-Debré, APHP, Pharmacie Clinique, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.

Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice
|January 7, 2015
PubMed

Insights

This study identified high-alert medications (HAMs) and safety measures for pediatric use. Implementing these strategies, including double-checking prescriptions, aims to reduce medication errors in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pharmacology
  • Patient Safety
  • Medication Management

Background:

  • High-alert medications (HAMs) pose significant risks of harm when misused.
  • Ensuring safe pediatric medication practices is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify pediatric high-alert medications (HAMs) within an institution.
  • To establish comprehensive safety measures for the use of identified HAMs.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review to identify HAM classes and specific drugs.
  • Survey of healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, pharmacists) for input.
  • Drug steering committee review and selection of HAMs and safety protocols.

Main Results:

  • Literature search identified 27 pharmaceutical agent classes and 63 common drug names as HAMs.
  • Survey revealed additional HAMs not found in literature, including neuroleptics and IV acetaminophen.
  • The drug steering committee finalized a list of 17 pediatric HAMs and 53 safety measures across seven management aspects.

Conclusions:

  • Developed a pediatric-specific HAM list and safety measures as part of hospital-wide safety initiatives.
  • Safety measures, such as double-checking, require post-implementation review.
  • The created list and strategies are adaptable for other pediatric settings to prevent medication errors.
Abstract

Keywords:
clinical safetyhigh-alert medicationmedication errorspaediatricspreventionquality of health care

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