What’s New in the Patient Safety World
July 2011
AAP Policy Statement: Principles of Pediatric Patient Safety
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has just published a policy statement on patient safety: Principles of Pediatric Patient Safety: Reducing Harm Due to Medical Care. It is an update of several prior position statements that focuses on (1) the significance of patient safety (2) the science behind the culture of safety and (3) patient safety strategies.
It points out some of the characteristics of children that make them more prone to things like medication errors and the fact that many of the interventions which have been successful in adults have not always been successful in the pediatric population.
It begins with a discussion of the epidemiology of pediatric patient harm and cites statistics about medication errors in the NICU and pediatric ED settings.
It then goes on to discuss the culture of patient safety and human factors concepts and to discuss key strategies pediatricians need to take in improving pediatric patient safety. They stress the need for pediatric clinicians to assume leadership roles in developing systems of safety and disseminating best practices and the role of technology in patient safety. They discuss specific patient safety goals and provide a variety of resources that may helo achieve those goals.
Reference:
American Academy of Pediatrics Steering Committee On Quality Improvement And Management And Committee On Hospital Care. Policy Statement—Principles of Pediatric Patient Safety: Reducing Harm Due to Medical Care.
Pediatrics 2011; peds.2011-0967; Published online May 29, 2011
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/6/1199.abstract
http://www.patientsafetysolutions.com/
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