The incidence of medication errors in a pediatric emergency department (ED)

Medication errors are a common cause of iatrogenic adverse events and can lead to morbidity and mortality. Medication errors are common in children and are particularly common in ED. However the incidence of medication errors in pediatric ED has not been described. Methods: The researchers systematically reviewed all charts of patients treated in the ED, of a tertiary pediatric hospital, during 12 randomly selected days from the summer of 2000, for potential medication errors. Results: During the study period there were 1549 visits to the ED. 1528 (98.6%) charts were available for review. Physicians prescription errors were found in 10.6% of the charts. In 3.5% of the charts nursing errors were identified. The most common error was acetaminophen at dose above the recommended. Ten fold errors occurred in 3 patients. Conclusion: Medication errors are common in the pediatric ED. We will present the nature of errors and system-related factors influencing the rate of drug errors, in an effort to develop preventive strategies.