How can information technology improve patient safety and reduce medication errors in childrens health care?
GROUND: Medication errors are common, costly, and injurious to patients. OBJECTIVE: To review the role of information technology in decreasing pediatric medication errors in both inpatient and outpatient settings. DESIGN: We performed a literature review of current information technology interventions. RESULTS: Several types of information technology will likely reduce the frequency of medication errors, although insufficient data exists for many technologies, and most available data come from adult settings. Computerized physician order entry with decision support substantially decreases the frequency of serious inpatient medication errors in adults. Certain other inpatient information technologies may be beneficial even though less evidence is currently available. These include computerized medication administration records, robots, automated pharmacy systems, bar coding, “smart” intravenous devices, and computerized discharge prescriptions and instructions. In the outpatient setting
