Study: Drug errors threaten kids when hospitalized
Scary statistics are out today from a new study that says medicine mix-ups harm about one out of every 15 hospitalized children.
As a parent, I know when my son was hospitalized for surgeries four different times I stayed by his side around-the-clock. I kept as close an eye on him as possible, watching for signs of pain, of fever, of hunger, of thirst, of boredom. (Boredom and pain tied as the biggest threat.)
But when it come to painkillers or antibiotics, I stood back and let the nurses and doctors do their thing. I wouldn’t have known if they made a mistake unless my son had shown symptoms.
If your child lands in the hospital, as a parent, you’re worried anyway. Now, is there something more to worry about? What have your experiences been in the past, and what do you think you need to do in the future — if anything?
Robsmyth — are you talking about Soma–I’ve heard terrible things about this muscle relaxant.
Ryan–you are correct in that nurses and drs. do tend to make you feel awkward when questioning what they are doing to you and what medicines they have prescribed. That should not be the case, but unfortunately it is the truth.
Logus–you are so right—they want to place a catheter when you are awake or before they administer pain meds.–never while you’re asleep or when you’re pain is being managed by meds.
As of 4:33 pm on 4/7/08, your article reads, “medicine mix-ups harm about one out of every 15 hospitalized children..” This is blatant misinformation being spewed all over the newspapers.
The paper from Pediatrics says nothing of the sort. The paper from Pediatrics says that in the survey, 7.3 percent of children (approximately 1 in 15) experienced an adverse drug reaction.
An adverse drug reaction does not in any way imply a “medical misstep” or a “medical error.” An adverse drug reaction is just that: an unpredicable and idiosycratic reaction to a drug that is neither predictable nor necessarily unexpected.
For example, if a kid with no known drug allergies is placed on an antibiotic and has a first allergic reaction to the drug, this is not a “medication error.” Nor is it a “medical misstep.” This is an adverse drug reaction that is an accepted possible outcome of being placed on the antibiotic. In some circumstances, even when a child has a known drug allergy, a physician may knowingly prescribe a similar drug to the child is allergic to knowing that the child has an increased risk of of having an allergic reaction. Most often, this is not an “error.” It is a judgment based on the appropriateness of the drug for the circumstance, weighing the benefits against the risk.
The original study showed adverse drug events of 11.1 per 100 patients, of which 22% were preventable. 0.111 x .22 = 2.4 %.
So even if you assume all preventable adverse drug reactions were “medical errors” or “medical missteps”, the rate would be less than 2.4%. Note, some patients had more than 1 adverse drug event, which is why the overall rate of adverse drug events was 11.1 % whereas the percent of patients affected was 7.3 % or 1 in 15. Likely some of the kids more than 1 preventable adverse drug event though the paper didn’t specify, which means that the number is actually somewhat lower then 2.4 %.
At any rate, the 1 in 15 from the paper refers to the proportion of kids experiencing adverse drug events, not the proportion experiencing “medication errors.” Assuming all preventable adverse events were errors, the rate was less than 2.4 % or less than 1 in 40 patients, not 1 in 15 as the major journal outlets have been saying.
Get your facts straight before you publish something, journalists.
You could have gotten yourself a copy of the paper for free off of the Pediatrics website if you had any interest in being thorough before publishing this dreck.
Now, do the honest thing. Instead of just changing the headline of your little article, actually publish an errata explaining to everyone what numbskulls you are.
Non-scientists shouldn’t write about science, period. If you can’t make sense out of what an original peer-reviewed article is saying yourself (much less critically evaluate it) you have no business writing or transmitting about science or medicine in the first place.
#20
Have you ever had a child go into surgery? You are barely able to remember to breathe . It is so easy to say coulda shoulda but the reality is that fear renders you a little dumber than you would normally be. I expect that the professionals are going to handle the things I can’t while I am pacing and praying. It isn’t about being passive, it is about knowing you have limitations and that you have to trust that your Dr.’s and nurses are going to do the right thing.
First, I don’t hang out at hospitals, that is where all the diseases are. That’s common sense. While my immune system is running full blast and I never catch anything from anybody, I don’t Dare my luck to change.
Of course the medical profession makes mistakes, often fatal ones. So do other professions.. I don’t ride 4 wheelers, jump out of airplanes, use electric cords outside wile it is raining, don’t fight alligators and don’t visit hospitals, . I do not put myself in danger of an injury, and don’t need the medical profession to treat me…and possibly make a mistake.
Eeble Oooble, re your posts #23, and #24, What “bloody idiot” would believe a paper written by
a Pediatrics. Are they infallible? No, and any paper written by them would be self serving. Do you believe all the advertisement for pharmaceutical drugs? They are developed by “scientists” and, and according to you can be believed.
Your assertion that A non scientist should not write about science is absolutely preposterous.
Want some examples?
colonoscopy picture…
For flexible borescopes, articulation mechanism components, range of articulation, field of view and angles of view of the objective…
My Son Is Allergic To Many Things…
Interesting - because that is the same thing I found out last Thursday….
Yes john, I want some examples.
> Do you believe all the advertisement for pharmaceutical drugs? They are
> developed by “scientists” and, and according to you can be believed.
No, I don’t believe advertisements. They are not written by scientists, they are written by people who specialize in marketing, another brand of liberal arts educated buffoon with bigger mouths than brains.
Probably, if this country weren’t full of so many liberal arts inclined idiots, marketing towards people’s stupidity wouldn’t be such a successful and widespread practice.
> Eeble Oooble, re your posts #23, and #24, What “bloody idiot” would believe a
> paper written by a Pediatrics.
The author of the News article about which we are all commenting.
you know, the article in the journal named Pediatrics, which is alleged to state that “medicine mix-ups harm about one out of every 15 hospitalized children” when in fact the article says nothing of the sort. If you don’t believe me, here it is:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/121/4/e927
> What “bloody idiot” would believe a paper written by a Pediatrics.
I wouldn’t necessarily. Why would you believe a bunch of liberal arts educate journalists yokels who can’t even correctly quote or interpret the paper on which they are alleged to be reporting?
> Are they infallible? No, and any paper written by them would be self serving.
Of course the paper in Pediatrics is self serving. Many of the authors are M.P.H.’s (”Masters in Public Health). For those of you who do not true, while it may generally be true that “those who cannot do, teach.” In medicine, those physicians who cannot do get an M.P.H. For those of you who do not know, the pinnacle of achievement of an M.P.H. is to get their studies quoted in asinine newspaper articles related to over-inflated and asinine claims. It how those guys get tenure.