Children are more likely to be harmed by a medication error than adults due to their immature physiology and developmental limitations that affect their ability to communicate and self-administer medications. Often pediatric medications need to be calculated based on a child's weight, prematurity status, and particular disease or health status, which can affect a drug's metabolism. The inability to calculate the correct therapeutic drug dose accounts for the majority of pediatric medication errors, explain Ronda G. Hughes, Ph.D., M.H.S., R.N., and Elizabeth A. Edgerton, M.D., M.P.H., of the Center for Primary Care, Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, in a recent article.
Drs. Hughes and Edgerton suggest several practical steps that nurses should take to improve pediatric medication safety. They recommend that nurses:
For more information, see "Reducing pediatric medication errors," by Drs. Hughes and Edgerton, in the May 2005 American Journal of Nursing 105(5), pp. 36-42. Reprints (AHRQ Publication No. 05-R052) are available from the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse.