Medication errors (MEs) are defined broadly as medication prescription, distribution, or administration errors. MEs are considered as the most common type of medical error in hospitalized patients, with pediatric patients having a ME rate up to three times that of adult patients. MEs resulting in extended hospitalization, readmission, impairments, and other complications in hospitalized children are frequently documented. To assess the MEs in pediatric patients by reviewing previous studies (from 2015 to 2021) that reported MEs in pediatric patients. Studies related to our subject were explored using PubMed and Google scholar databases. The keywords included were “MEs, prescribing errors, administration errors, adverse drug events, Dosing errors, hospitalized children, pediatric patients” were used in various combinations. The inclusion criteria were original studies that reported MEs in pediatric patients and full text- articles. A total of 456 articles were obtained; only six articles were eligible for the inclusion criteria. The included studies were conducted on a total number of 8,860 MEs. The six included studies were divided into; two studies were prospective observational studies, two retrospective studies, one cross-sectional study, and one study based on a national mandatory reporting system. Our analysis found high rates of MEs among pediatric patients. The most common MEs were prescribing errors, dosing errors, followed by incorrect administration time. The medication groups with the highest ratio of MEs were anti-hypertensives, antimycotics, and drugs for nasal preparation, followed by anti-asthmatic drugs, antibiotics, and analgesics. Additionally, morphine, paracetamol, and gentamicin were also associated with MEs in pediatric patients. More research is needed to evaluate the need for and viability of pharmacy services in pediatric settings.
Key words: medication errors, prescribing errors, administration errors, adverse drug events, hospitalized children, pediatric patients.
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