Project 2. Ambulatory Medication Errors and Adverse Drug Events (ADEs) in Pediatrics
We propose an epidemiological study of pediatric medication errors and ADEs in the ambulatory setting with the following goals:
Aim 1: To determine the rates, types, and predictors of medication errors and ADEs.
Aim 2: To perform a randomized controlled trial (RCT) assessing the effectiveness of an intervention on reducing serious medication errors.
We hypothesize that:
1) Medication errors and ADEs are frequent in ambulatory pediatrics.
2) Presence of the following predictors will be associated with higher error rates: cultural, racial, socioeconomic, educational, and linguistic barriers to communication, understanding, and successful completion of prescribed therapies; complex medical or chronic medical conditions; complex medication regimens; non-physician providers with limited clinical experience; high provider workloads; and complex prescription refill systems.
3) Prevention strategies, including both technology-based and behavioral/ human factors-based interventions, will be effective and cost-effective in reducing rates of serious medication errors (defined as preventable ADEs and non-intercepted potential ADEs).
