Prescribing Patterns in Pediatric General Wards and Their Association with Prescribing Errors: A Retrospective
Aylin N Satir1, Miriam Pfiffner2, Christoph R Meier3
1Department of Hospital Pharmacy, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. a.satir@unibas.ch.
Drugs - Real World Outcomes
|October 13, 2023
Summary
This study analyzed drug prescribing patterns in pediatric inpatients, finding that female patients and children aged 2-11 years had higher rates of potentially harmful prescribing errors. Further investigation into these pediatric drug safety risks is needed.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric pharmacology
- Drug utilization studies
- Medication safety in children
Background:
- Limited data exists on drug use in pediatric inpatients on general wards.
- Understanding prescribing patterns is crucial for improving medication safety in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe drug prescribing patterns in a Swiss university children's hospital.
- To investigate the association between prescribing patterns and errors in pediatric inpatients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective observational study of 489 pediatric patients and 2693 prescriptions.
- Drugs classified using the Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) system.
- Prescribing errors analyzed by type (PCNE) and severity (NCC MERP index).
Main Results:
- Nervous system drugs were most common (42.6%), followed by alimentary (15.6%) and anti-infectives (10.7%).
- 82% of patients received analgesics; paracetamol, metamizole, and ibuprofen were most frequent.
- Higher rates of potentially harmful errors were observed in children aged 2-11 years and in female patients.
Conclusions:
- Provides insights into pediatric prescribing on general hospital wards.
- Highlights a higher risk of prescribing errors in female pediatric patients, warranting further investigation.
- Identified specific drugs with recurring errors, suggesting areas for targeted intervention.
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