Neonates are particularly vulnerable to medication errors and may be at further risk of harm because of, immature renal and hepatic clearance of
drugs, the use of very small doses, and the widespread use of off-label and
unlicensed drugs.
Objective
To review the literature on the frequency and types of medication errors in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) and the effectiveness of preventive strategies.
Methods
We conducted a systematic review of the published literature from 2000 through 2013 for studies that examined the prevalence of medication errors and interventions used to reduce the incidence in NICUs.
Results
13 studies were identified describing medication errors, 13 about type of errors and 16 regarding interventions to improve medication safety.
Conclusions
Medication errors are an avoidable cause of iatrogenic events in neonatal care settings. Evidence-based interventions implemented in collaboration with pharmacists, appear to be an effective way of reducing medication errors.
