Medication errors in pediatric patients in an academic hospital in Medellin Colombia. A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: A third of medical errors has been related to medication errors. In the pediatric population, an incidence of medication errors 3 times higher compared to adults has been described. A recommended strategy to improve medication errors risk management describes the adoption of a notification system that allows detection, identification of causes and the implementation of activities focused on prevention. Objective: To determine the prevalence and o characterize medication errors in the pediatric service reported in the clinical risk management and notification system of an academic hospital in 2017 and 2018. Methodology: Cross-sectional study. The proportion of medication errors in the pediatric department was quantified from a report of the Clinical Risk notification System for 2017 and 2018. Medication errors were grouped according to process, type of error, subgroup and gravity. Descriptive statistics were used for The error rate was 7,71 per-1000 patient days. Most of the errors were classified as Error without damage (category B and C), 176 both subcategories (total 352), representing 93,62 % of the total of errors. The prescription process was the one that most reported errors 59,84%. Conclusions: Most of the reported medication errors were related to the prescription. The main were classified in the errors without damage category. MÉD.UIS.2020;33(2):33-40.