Reducing pediatric medication errors: A survey and taxonomy

According to a 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine an estimated 44,000 to 98,000 people die annually due to medication errors (MEs) in health care. Medication errors can occur at any point in the continuum of care and the literature suggests that MEs are common in our hospitals today, especially in the complex setting of pediatric medicine. This paper is a survey of reported research over the last decade on MEs in pediatrics and their prevention and reduction strategies. It is difficult to know the prevalence of pediatric MEs due to the lack of consistency in error definitions in past studies. Unlike previous surveys on this topic, this paper reviews several studies and provides a taxonomy chart listing the most common pediatric MEs, as well as contributing factors, severity, and possible prevention strategies. The objective is to provide interested researchers in this field with a resource that aggregates and compares related studies on MEs in pediatrics, and provides a comprehensive taxonomy of errors. Challenges and prevention strategies towards reducing pediatric MEs are also discussed.