Patient Safety in paediatrics and neonatal medication

Abstract

Patient safety needs to be addressed for better health services. This needs a stringent uniform regulatory system. Although, after 2013 Central Drug Standard Control Organisation, CDSCO has laid down regulations for clinical trial, stem cells research, compensation for morbidity and mortality in subjects in clinical trial. There has been data from India on medication errors and patient safety in pediatric, neonatal and anaesthesia setting, knowledge of health professionals on medication errors. Still regulatory body has not laid down standards of patient safety, its audit, insurance and compensation guidelines. Medication errors are prevalent in the hospital settings. Considerable attention to patient safety is not a regular component of medical education, and much research needs to be carried out to understand the causes, consequences, and prevention of healthcare-related adverse events. Pediatric population is three times more suseptible to such errors. Healthcare professionals working in neonatal wards are particularly susceptible to committing errors due to the peculiarities of newborn patients and of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment.