Database to Reduce Dosing Errors in Infants

To reduce medication errors, a new software database offers recommendations on drug dosage for newborns and infants and displays a warning message when dose range or frequency is exceeded.

The software is designed to prevent dosing errors in neonates and infants by factoring in two critical patient characteristics: weight and gestational age at birth. The module offers recommendations on how high or low a dose should be given, what the maximum daily dose should be, how often a dose should be given, and how long the patient should remain on the drug. Considered in the recommendations are kidney and liver function and how rapidly the body is metabolizing certain marker enzymes. Warning messages alert healthcare workers when a prescribed dose or frequency of administration falls outside an acceptable range.

Medication errors caused by out-of-range dosages are among the most common mistakes, and pediatric patients may be more vulnerable to adverse outcomes from drug errors than adult patients, says First DataBank (San Bruno, CA, USA), which developed the software. The software module, called Neonatal and Infant Dosage Range Check Module, can be used with the company's Drug Information Framework for quick implementation.

"Our unique content adds a new level of sophistication to medication screening for hospitals with neonatal and infant patients,” said Dennis Hays, manager of clinical services at First DataBank.




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