Medication Errors in Children

Medication errors account for significant morbidity and mortality and are very common in pediatric practice. Errors are more common among the sickest and more vulnerable patients. Applying the "system approach" to medication errors enables hospitals and health organizations to detect and treat the source of preventable errors before they harm patients. Professionals and health organizations should adopt strategies that have been shown to reduce errors, such as CPOE, preprinted order forms, and color-coded systems. Systems for detecting and reporting medication errors should be implemented at all levels of the medical system. Further studies are needed for better understanding of this epidemic and development of effective preventive measures.