scholarly journals Strategies for Implementing Pediatric Dose Standardization: Considerations From the Vizient University Health System Consortium Pharmacy Network Pediatric Pharmacy Committee

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-28
Author(s):  
Christopher T. Campbell ◽  
Kristin H. Wheatley ◽  
Leanne Svoboda ◽  
Courtney E. Campbell ◽  
Kelley R. Norris

Pediatric patients are at a heightened risk for medication errors due to variability in medication ordering and administration. Dose rounding and standardization have been 2 practices historically used to reduce variability and improve medication safety. This article will describe strategies for implementing pediatric dose standardization. Local practice often dictates the operational decisions made at an institutional level, leading to a lack of a standard methodology. Vizient survey results demonstrate there is wide variation in dose standardization and ready-to-use (RTU) practices although most responding institutions have attempted to limit bedside manipulation to reduce medication error. There are many barriers to consider before pursuing dose standardization at an institution. These include selecting medications to standardize, calculating appropriate standardized doses, preparing RTU products, and supplying the products to the patient. Strategies to overcome implementation issues are described as well as identification of knowledge gaps related to the preparation and use of RTU products in the pediatric population. There is opportunity to enhance an institution's ability to provide RTU medications. Although there are several barriers, those that have had successful implementation have leveraged their information technology systems, garnered multidisciplinary support, and customized their practice to meet their operational demands.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (01) ◽  
pp. 076-081
Author(s):  
Chethan Sarabu ◽  
Tzielan Lee ◽  
Adam Hogan ◽  
Natalie Pageler

Abstract Background OpenNotes, the sharing of medical notes via a patient portal, has been extensively studied in adults but not in pediatric populations. This has been a contributing factor in the slower adoption of OpenNotes by children's hospitals. The 21st Century Cures Act Final Rule has mandated the sharing of clinical notes electronically to all patients and as health systems prepare to comply, some concerns remain particularly with OpenNotes for pediatric populations. Objectives After a gradual implementation of OpenNotes at an academic pediatric center, we sought to better understand how pediatric patients and families perceived OpenNotes. This article presents the detailed steps of this informatics-led rollout and patient survey results with a focus on pediatric-specific concerns. Methods We adapted a previous OpenNotes survey used for adult populations to a pediatric outpatient setting (with parents of children <12 years old). The survey was sent to patients and families via a notification email sent as a standard practice after a clinic visit, in English or Spanish. Results Approximately 7% of patients/families with access to OpenNotes read the note during the study period, and 159 (20%) of those patients responded to the survey. Of the survey respondents, 141 (89%) of patients and families understood their notes; 126 (80%) found the notes always or usually accurate; 24 (15%) contacted their clinicians after reading a note; and 153 (97%) patients/families felt the same or better about their doctor after reading the note. Conclusion Although limited by relatively low survey response rate, OpenNotes was well-received by parents of pediatric patients without untoward consequences. The main concerns pediatricians raise about OpenNotes proved to not be issues in the pediatric population. Our results demonstrate clear benefits to adoption of OpenNotes. This provides reassurance that the transition to sharing notes with pediatric patients can be successful and value additive.


Author(s):  
P. Nikhithasri ◽  
M. Ramya ◽  
P. Kishore

Objective: To assess the overall rate and incidence of medication errors in pediatric inpatients and to determine the importance of pharmacist participation in medication errors.Methods: A prospective observational study has been conducted in a ‘private childrens hospital’ for 6 mo at Warangal, Telangana. Patients who are ≤18 ywere considered. Data was collected from patient records, direct communication with patient and their care givers.Results: Among 400 patients with 2,461 medication orders,1381(56%) errors were found. Patients were more exposed to AME(33.7) caused by the nursing staff, followed by PME-21.5,CME-0.6,DME-0.2 in incidence with the 95% CI.Conclusion: Pediatric patients are more exposed to administration errors and prescribing errors. Pediatricians and Pharmacists should develop effective programs for safe administration of medications, report medication errors, eliminate barriers in reporting medication errors, encourage a non-punitive reporting culture and create an environment of medication safety for all hospitalized pediatric patients


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (01) ◽  
pp. 158-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ju Wang ◽  
Hongyuan Liang ◽  
Hong Kang ◽  
Yang Gong

Background While health information technology (health IT) is able to prevent medication errors in many ways, it may also potentially introduce new paths to errors. To understand the impact of health IT induced medication errors, this study aims to conduct a retrospective analysis of medication safety reports. Methods From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database, we identified reports in which health IT is a contributing factor to medication errors. We applied two conceptual frameworks, Sittig and Singh's sociotechnical model and Coiera's information value chain, to examine the identified reports. Results We identified 152 unique reports on health IT induced medication errors as the final report set for review. The majority (65.13%) of the reports involved multiple contributing factors according to the sociotechnical model. Three dimensions, that is, clinical content, human–computer interface, and people, were involved in more reports than the others. The transition of the effects of health IT on medication practice was summarized using information value chain. Health IT related contributing factors may lead to receiving wrong information, missing information, receiving partial information and delayed information, and receiving wrong information and missing information tend to cause the commission errors in decision-making. Conclusion The two frameworks provide an opportunity to understand a comprehensive context of safety event and the impact of health IT induced errors on medication safety. The sociotechnical model helps identify the aspects causing medication safety issues. The information value chain helps uncover the effect of the health IT induced medication errors on health care process and patient outcomes.


2020 ◽  
pp. 014556132091910
Author(s):  
Lauren E. Miller ◽  
Adva Buzi ◽  
Ashley Williams ◽  
Rachel S. Rogers ◽  
Angel G. Ortiz ◽  
...  

Introduction: Telemedicine is an increasingly prevalent component of medical practice. In otolaryngology, there is the potential for telemedicine services to be performed in conjunction with device use, such as with a nasolaryngoscope. This study evaluates the reliability of remote examinations of the upper airway through an iPhone recording using a coupling device attached to a nasopharyngolaryngoscope (NPL). Methods: A prospective, blinded study was performed for pediatric patients requiring an NPL during an office visit. The NPL was performed using a coupling device attached to a smartphone to record the examination. A second, remote otolaryngologist then evaluated the recorded examination. Both otolaryngologists evaluated findings of anatomic sites including nasopharynx, oropharynx, base of tongue, larynx including subsites of epiglottis, arytenoids, aryepiglottic folds, false vocal cords, true vocal cords, patency of airway, and diagnostic impression, all of which were documented through a survey. Results of the survey were evaluated through inter-rater agreement using the κ statistic. Results: Forty-five patients underwent an NPL, all of which were included in the study. The average age was 4.9 years. The most common complaint requiring NPL was noisy breathing (n = 16). The inter-rater agreement for overall diagnosis was 0.74 with 80% percent agreement, rated as “good.” Other anatomic subsites with “good” or better inter-rater agreement were nasopharynx (0.75), oropharynx (0.75), and true vocal cords (0.71), with strong percentage agreement of 89%, 91%, and 87%, respectively. Both users of the adaptor found the recording setup to run smoothly. Conclusion: A telemedicine device for NPL use demonstrates strong diagnostic accuracy across providers and good overall evaluation. It holds potential for use in remote settings.


2021 ◽  
pp. 014556132110079
Author(s):  
Melonie Anne Phillips ◽  
Meredith Lind ◽  
Gerd McGwire ◽  
Diana Rodriguez ◽  
Suzanna Logan

Head and neck tumors are rare in pediatric patients but should be kept in the differential when a patient presents with a new swelling or mass. One of these tumors is a myxoma, which is an insidiously growing, benign mass originating from the mesenchyme. They most commonly arise in the myocardium but can also develop in facial structures, particularly in the maxilla and mandible. When arising in facial structures, ocular, respiratory, and digestive systems can be affected based on local invasion. Complete surgical resection is curative but can lead to significant morbidity as well. Here, we present a case of a 15-month-old toddler presenting with a paranasal mass, which was ultimately diagnosed as a maxillary myxoma. This tumor is very rare in the pediatric population, especially in the toddler age-group, reminding clinicians to broaden the differential diagnosis when a patient’s course is atypical.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S684-S684
Author(s):  
Victoria Konold ◽  
Palak Bhagat ◽  
Jennifer Pisano ◽  
Natasha N Pettit ◽  
Anish Choksi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background To meet the core elements required for antimicrobial stewardship programs, our institution implemented a pharmacy-led antibiotic timeout (ATO) process in 2017 and a multidisciplinary ATO process in 2019. An antibiotic timeout is a discussion and review of the need for ongoing empirical antibiotics 2-4 days after initiation. This study sought to evaluate both the multidisciplinary ATO and the pharmacy-led ATO in a pediatric population, compare the impact of each intervention on antibiotic days of therapy (DOT) to a pre-intervention group without an ATO, and to then compare the impact of the pharmacy-led ATO versus multidisciplinary ATO on antibiotic days of therapy (DOT). Methods This was a retrospective, pre-post, quasi-experimental study of pediatric patients comparing antibiotic DOT prior to ATO implementation (pre-ATO), during the pharmacy-led ATO (pharm-ATO), and during the multidisciplinary ATO (multi-ATO). The pre-ATO group was a patient sample from February-September 2016, prior to the initiation of a formal ATO. The pharmacy-led ATO was implemented from February-September 2018. This was followed by a multidisciplinary ATO led by pediatric residents and nurses from February-September 2019. Both the pharm-ATO and the multi-ATO were implemented as an active non-interruptive alert added to the electronic health record patient list. This alert triggered when new antibiotics had been administered to the patient for 48 hours, at which time, the responsible clinician would discuss the antibiotic and document their decision via the alert workspace. Pediatric patients receiving IV or PO antibiotics administered for at least 48 hours were included. The primary outcome was DOT. Secondary outcomes included length of stay (LOS) and mortality. Results 1284 unique antibiotic orders (n= 572 patients) were reviewed in the pre-ATO group, 868 (n= 323 patients) in the pharm-ATO and 949 (n= 305 patients) in the multi-ATO groups. Average DOT was not significantly different pre vs post intervention for either methodology (Table 1). Mortality was similar between groups, but LOS was longer for both intervention groups (Table 1). Impact of an ATO on DOT, Mortality and LOS Conclusion An ATO had no impact on average antibiotic DOT in a pediatric population, regardless of the ATO methodology. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Vitaliy Sazonov ◽  
Zaure Tobylbayeva ◽  
Askhat Saparov ◽  
Bolatbek Jubaniyazov ◽  
Samat Issakov ◽  
...  

Background: High-dose methotrexate (HDMTX) is likely to cause a number of side effects and manifest itself as hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, mucositis, and neurotoxicity. A several studies demonstrated the efficacy of extracorporeal detoxification methods such as plasma exchange, hemodialysis (HD), HD filtration, and hemoperfusion for the treatment of MTX delayed clearance. However, none of the existing methods as effective as expected and limited for general implementation due to a procedure-related complication. Case Report: Here, we report a successful implementation of HA-230 hemoadsorption procedure to remove cumulated MTX from the body and reduce its toxicity in a child with ALL after high-dose chemotherapy. Results and Conclusion: Based on our results, single-hemoadsorption procedure with the HA-230 adsorber in case of delayed methotrexate clearance was safe and well-tolerated in a pediatric patient with ALL and would significantly improve the patient’s condition. Further studies need to demonstrate its safety and efficacy in a large number of pediatric patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-416
Author(s):  
Brian Murray ◽  
Matthew J. Streitz ◽  
Michael Hilliard ◽  
Joseph K. Maddry

Introduction. Adverse medication events are a potential source of significant morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients, where dosages frequently rely on weight-based formulas. The most frequent occurrence of medication errors occurs during the ordering phase. Methods. Through a prospective cohort analysis, we followed medication errors through patient safety reports (PSRs) to determine if the use of a medication dosage calculator would reduce the number of PSRs per patient visits. Results. The number of PSRs for medication errors per patient visit occurring due to errors in ordering decreased from 10/28 417 to 1/17 940, a decrease by a factor of 6.31, with a χ2 value of 4.063, P = .0463. Conclusion. We conclude that the use of an electronic dosing calculator is able to reduce the number of medication errors, thereby reducing the potential for serious pediatric adverse medication events.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pi-Chang Lee ◽  
Betau Hwang ◽  
Wen-Jue Soong ◽  
C. C. Laura Meng

Background.The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the pediatric population is currently estimated at 1-2% of all children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical and hemodynamic characteristics in pediatric patients with cor pulmonale and OSA.Methods.Thirty children with the diagnosis of OSA were included. These patients consisted of 26 male and 4 female children with a mean age of 7 ± 4 years old. Five of those children were found to be associated with cor pulmonale, and 25 had OSA but without cor pulmonale.Results.The arousal index was much higher in children with OSA and cor pulmonale. The children with OSA and cor pulmonale had much lower mean and minimal oxygen saturation and a higher incidence of bradycardia events. All 5 patients with OSA and cor pulmonale underwent an adenotonsillectomy, and the pulmonary arterial pressure dropped significantly after the surgery.Conclusion.This study demonstrated that the OSA pediatric patients with cor pulmonale had the different clinical manifestations and hemodynamic characteristics from those without cor pulmonale. The adenotonsillectomy had excellent results in both the OSA pediatric patients with and without cor pulmonale.


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