Strategies to prevent medication errors in hospital patients.(Journal Watch)

Each year in the U.S., more than 44,000 adult deaths are caused, at least in part, by medical errors. A similar situation exists in pediatric healthcare, and infants and children in intensive care units are especially vulnerable to lasting harm. Most medication errors involve dosage. Children present unique dosing challenges: Dosage depends on weight and age and must be calculated individually, and stock solutions often come in adult strengths. Building on recent studies showing that medication errors are often preventable, these investigators analyzed data from two academic medical centers to categorize the major types of medication errors in children and to identify the most …