Impact of pharmacist interventions on medication errors in hospitalized pediatric patients: a systematic review and...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pharmacology
• Patient Safety
• Clinical Pharmacy Practice

Background:

• Medication errors are preventable adverse events impacting patient care.
• Pediatric patients are particularly susceptible to medication errors due to unique physiological and developmental factors.
• Clinical pharmacists play a crucial role in mitigating medication errors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of clinical pharmacist interventions in reducing medication error rates among hospitalized pediatric patients.
• To provide both qualitative and quantitative data on the impact of pharmacist-led interventions.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of major databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Google Scholar) was conducted up to February 2020.
• Included observational and interventional studies underwent independent review, data extraction, and quality assessment using the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool.
• A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model to calculate odds ratios (ORs) for medication error rates.

Main Results:

• Nineteen studies were reviewed, with 6 studies involving 29,291 pediatric patients included in the meta-analysis.
• Common pharmacist interventions included educational sessions, prescription reviews, and participation in patient care rounds.
• Pharmacist involvement demonstrated a significant reduction in overall medication error rates (OR 0.27; 95% CI 0.15 to 0.49).

Conclusions:

• Clinical pharmacist interventions are highly effective in decreasing medication error rates in hospitalized pediatric populations.
• Integrating clinical pharmacists into pediatric care settings is a vital strategy for enhancing patient safety.
• These findings support the expansion of clinical pharmacy services in pediatric healthcare to minimize medication-related harm.