Preventable adverse drug events usually of minor severity in kids

(HealthDay)—The incidence of preventable adverse drug events (pADEs) is zero to 17 per 1,000 patient-days in general pediatric wards and zero to 29 in intensive care units, with most pADEs of minor severity, according to a review published online Aug. 10 in Pediatrics.

Peter J. Gates, Ph.D., from Macquarie University in Sydney, and colleagues reviewed the incidence and severity of pADEs resulting from medication errors in pediatric inpatient settings. Data were extracted from 22 studies published between January 2000 and December 2017.

The researchers found that the incidence was zero to 17 pADEs per 1,000 patient-days, or 1.3 percent of medication errors (of any type), for children in general pediatric wards, compared with zero to 29 pADEs, or 1.5 percent of medication errors, in intensive care units. In hospital-wide studies there were reports of up to 74 pADEs per 1,000 patient days, or 2.6 percent of medication errors. pADEs were mainly of minor severity.

"Medication errors in pediatric settings seldom result in patient harm, and if they do, harm is predominantly of minor severity," the authors write. "Implementing health information technologies was associated with reduced incidence of harm."

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