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Pediatric medication error reports in Korea adverse event reporting system database, 1989-2012: comparing with adult

Yeonju Woo1, Hyung Eun Kim1, Sooyoun Chung1

  • 1Korea Institute of Drug Safety & Risk Management, Seoul, Korea.

Journal of Korean Medical Science
|April 2, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric medication errors (MEs) in Korea occur significantly more often than in adults, with accidental overdose being the most common type. This highlights the need for a national system to prevent these errors in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric pharmacology and patient safety
  • Drug safety surveillance and reporting systems

Background:

  • Children's unique physiological development impacts drug safety profiles compared to adults.
  • Medication errors (MEs) are disproportionately higher in pediatric populations.
  • Existing data on pediatric MEs in Korea is limited, necessitating national-level analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize pediatric medication errors (MEs) at a national level in Korea.
  • To raise awareness regarding the risks associated with pediatric MEs.
  • To inform the development of a national system for preventing pediatric MEs.

Main Methods:

  • Descriptive analysis of pediatric medication error (ME) reports from the Korea Adverse Event Reporting System (KAERS) database.
  • Data collected spanned from 1989 to 2012, identifying 208 pediatric ME reports.
  • Analysis included categorization of ME types and review of narrative descriptions.

Main Results:

  • Pediatric ME reports were 2.73 times more frequent than adult ME reports within the KAERS database.
  • The most common ME types were accidental overdose (24.6%), drug maladministration (21.2%), and medication error (17.4%).
  • While most pediatric MEs caused no harm, some required medical intervention.

Conclusions:

  • Medication errors in Korean pediatrics are a significant and non-negligible issue.
  • Increased awareness of pediatric MEs is crucial.
  • Further development of a national, effective ME prevention system for children in Korea is recommended.

Keywords:
Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse ReactionsKorea Adverse Event Reporting SystemMedication ErrorsPediatrics

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