Reducing Medication Errors – A Tripartite Approach Small Steps Better Outcomes

Paediatric medication errors have everyday potential to cause unintended harm1, possibly due to the extra challenges of prescribing and administering medication to this patient group. The results of the initial audit showed that 88.6% (141/159) of children admitted had medication errors. An education package through a tripartite approach was implemented and it has achieved a substantial change in the overall rate of prescription errors. Results of a re-audit showed that 12.1% (57/470) of children had medication errors, which demonstrated an overall reduction of 76.5% medication errors in paediatric admissions.