Errors in the use of medication dosage equations

Article Abstract:

Children may be at particular risk of dosage errors when they are prescribed medications. A pharmacist evaluated 200 prescription errors at a teaching hospital, and found that 70% involved prescriptions for children. Forty-two percent of the errors placed the patient at risk for serious adverse effects. Most of the errors were the result of improper decimal point placement, inaccurate dosage calculations, incorrect dosage instructions, or use of the wrong dosing equation. Children are at particular risk because their variable size necessitates dosage calculation based on body weight.

Drugs, Causes of, Dosage and administration, Drug administration and dosage, Medication errors

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Contribution of birth defects and genetic diseases to pediatric hospitalizations: a population-based study

Article Abstract:

Birth defects make a substantial contribution to hospital costs in children. Analysis of hospital discharge data in 1991 in South Carolina and California revealed that birth defects and genetic disorders accounted for 12% of children's hospitalizations in both states combined. Children with birth defects or genetic disorders stayed longer in the hospital compared to other children and their hospital charges were 184% higher. Mortality rates in these children were four times greater than in children with other diseases.

Economic aspects, Birth defects, Genetic disorders, Hospital utilization, Hospital stays

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