Adverse Drug Event-Related Admissions to a Pediatric Emergency Unit

The objectives of this study were to analyze adverse drug events (ADEs) related to admissions to a pediatric emergency unit and to identify the associated risk factors.

This was a prospective study. Demographic data and details of medications were collected for each patient admitted. Case studies were performed by clinical pharmacists and the clinical team to discuss whether the admission was due to an ADE and to characterize the ADE. Multivariate logistic regression was used for statistical analysis.

In total, 1708 pediatric patients were included in this study. Adverse drug events were the cause of hospital admission in 12.3% of the studied population. The majority of patients presenting with an ADE were in the age group of 0 to 5 years (61.6%), had a mean ± SD age of 4.9 ± 3.9 years, were female (51.2%), were Caucasian (72.0%), and had infectious disorders (49.3%). High frequencies of medication errors (68.8%), use of drugs to treat respiratory disorders (27.7%), and ADEs of mild severity (75.3%) were reported. The risk of being admitted to the pediatric emergency unit for any ADE increased in cases of neurological (odds ratio [OR], 4.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.38-8.99), dermatological (OR, 3.16; 95% CI, 1.93-5.18), and respiratory (OR, 3.02; 95% CI, 1.89-4.83) disorders.

A high frequency of ADE-related admissions to the pediatric emergency unit was observed. The risk of being admitted to the pediatric emergency unit for any ADE increased in cases of neurological, dermatological, and respiratory disorders. Clinical pharmacists play an important role in the identification of ADEs and the education of child caregivers and health care providers concerning pediatric medication.