Medical errors are one of the Nation’s

leading causes of death and injury. Rates

of medication errors and adverse drug

events for hospitalized children were

comparable to rates for hospitalized

adults in a 2001 study in the Journal of

the American Medical Association.

However, the rate for potential adverse

drug events was three times higher in

children, and substantially higher still

for babies in neonatal intensive care

units. Studies of medical errors outside

the hospital are just getting underway. 

This fact sheet is intended to help

parents help their children avoid

medical errors.

What are Medical Errors?

Medical errors happen when something

that was planned as a part of medical

care doesn’t work out, or when the

wrong plan was used in the first place.

A 1999 report by the Institute of

Medicine estimates that as many as

44,000 to 98,000 people die in U.S.

hospitals each year as the result of

medical errors. 

Medical errors can occur anywhere in

the health care system: 

• Hospitals. 

• Clinics. 

• Outpatient surgery centers. 

• Doctors’ offices. 

• Pharmacies. 

• Patients’ homes. 

Errors can involve:

• Medicines. 

• Surgery. 

• Diagnosis. 

• Equipment. 

• Lab reports. 

Most errors result from problems

created by today’s complex health care

system. But errors also happen when

doctors and their patients have

problems communicating. For example,

a study supported by the Agency for

Healthcare Research and Quality

(AHRQ) found that doctors often do

not do enough to help their patients

make informed decisions. Uninvolved

and uninformed patients are less likely

to accept the doctor’s choice of

treatment and less likely to do what

they need to do to make the treatment

work. 

What Can You Do?

Be Involved in Your Child’s Health

Care

1. The single most important way

you can help prevent errors is to be

an active member of your child’s

health care team.

That means taking part in every

decision about your child’s health care.

Research shows that parents who are

more involved with their child’s care

tend to get better results. Some specific

www.ahrq.gov

AHRQ is the lead Federal agency

charged with supporting research

designed to improve the quality of

health care, reduce its cost, address

patient safety and medical errors, and 

broaden access to essential services.

AHRQ sponsors and conducts research

that provides evidence-based information on health care outcomes; quality;

and cost, use, and access. The information helps health care decisionmakers—

patients and clinicians, health system

leaders, and policymakers— make more

informed decisions and improve the

quality of health care services.

20 Tips to Help 

Prevent Medical Errors 

in Children

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality • 2101 East Jefferson Street • Rockville, MD 20852

Patient Fact Sheet

U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services

Public Health Service
tips, based on the latest scientific

evidence about what works best,

follow. 

Medicines 

2. Make sure that all of your child’s

doctors know about everything your child is taking and his or her weight. This includes prescription

and over-the-counter medicines,

and dietary supplements such as

vitamins and herbs. 

At least once a year, bring all of your

child’s medicines and supplements

with you to the doctor. “Brown

bagging” your child’s medicines can

help you and your doctor talk about

them and find out if there are any

problems. Knowing your child’s

medication history and weight can

help your doctor keep your child’s records up to date, which can help your child get better quality care. 

3. Make sure your child’s doctor

knows about any allergies and how your child reacts to medicines.

This can help you avoid getting a

medicine that can harm your child. 

4. When your child’s doctor writes you a prescription, make sure you

can read it.

If you can’t read the doctor’s

handwriting, your pharmacist might

not be able to either. Ask the doctor

to use block letters to print the name

of the drug.

5. When you pick up your child’s

medicine from the pharmacy, ask:

Is this the medicine that my child’s

doctor prescribed?

A study by the Massachusetts College

of Pharmacy and Allied Health

Sciences found that 88 percent of

medicine errors involved the wrong

drug or the wrong dose. 

6. Ask for information about your

child’s medicines in terms you can

understand—both when the

medicines are prescribed and when you receive them at the hospital or

pharmacy. • What is the name of the

medicine? 

• What is the medicine for? 

• Is the dose of this medicine

appropriate for my child based on

his or her weight? 

• How often is my child supposed

to take it, and for how long? 

• What side effects are likely? What

do I do if they occur? 

• Is this medicine safe for my child

to take with other medicines or

dietary supplements? 

• What food, drink, or activities

should my child avoid while

taking this medicine? 

• When should I see an

improvement? 

7. If you have any questions about

the directions on your child’s

medicine labels, ask. Medicine labels can be hard to

understand. For example, ask if “four

doses daily” means taking a dose every

6 hours around the clock or just

during regular waking hours. 

8. Ask your pharmacist for the best

device to measure your child’s

liquid medicine. Also, ask questions

if you’re not sure how to use the

device. Research shows that many people do

not understand the right way to

measure liquid medicines. For

example, many use household

teaspoons, which often do not hold a

true teaspoon of liquid. Special

devices, like marked oral syringes, help

people to measure the right dose. Being told how to use the devices

helps even more. 

2 www.ahrq.gov
9. Ask for written information

about the side effects your child’s

medicine could cause.

Ifyou know what might happen,

you will be better prepared if it

does—or, if something unexpected

happens instead. That way, you can report the problem right away and

get help before it gets worse. A

study found that written

information about medicines can

help people recognize problem side

effects. If your child experiences side

effects, alert the doctor and

pharmacist right away.

Hospital Stays 

10. If you have a choice, choose a

hospital at which many children

have the procedure or surgery your child needs. Research shows that patients tend to

have better results when they are

treated in hospitals that have a great

deal of experience with their

condition. Find out how many of

the procedures have been performed

at the hospital. While your child is

in the hospital, make sure he or she

is always wearing an identification

bracelet.

11. If your child is in the hospital,

ask all health care workers who

have direct contact with your

child whether they have washed

their hands. Handwashing is an important way

to prevent the spread of infections

in hospitals. Yet, it is not done regularly or thoroughly enough. A

study found that when patients

checked whether health care

workers washed their hands, the

workers washed their hands more

often and used more soap. 

12. When your child is being

discharged from the hospital, ask

his or her doctor to explain the

treatment plan you will use at

home. 

This includes learning about your

child’s medicines and finding out

when he or she can get back to regular activities. Research shows

that at discharge time, doctors think

people understand more than they really do about what they should or

should not do when they return

home. 

Surgery

13. If your child is having surgery,

make sure that you, your child’s

doctor, and the surgeon all agree

and are clear on exactly what will

be done. Doing surgery at the wrong site (for

example, operating on the left knee

instead of the right) is rare—but

even once is too often. The good

news is that wrong-site surgery is

100 percent preventable. The

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons urges its members to sign

their initials directly on the site to

be operated on before the surgery. 

Other Steps You Can Take 

14. Speak up if you have

questions or concerns. You have a right to question anyone

who is involved with your child’s

care. 

15. Make sure that you know who

is in charge of your child’s care.

This is especially important if your

child has many health problems or

is in a hospital. 

www.ahrq.gov3
16. Make sure that all health

professionals involved in your

child’s care have important health

information about him or her. 

Do not assume that everyone knows

everything they need to. Don’t be

afraid to speak up.

17. Ask a family member or friend

to be there with you and to be your

advocate. Choose someone who can

help get things done and speak up

for you if you can’t. 

18. Ask why each test or procedure

is being done. 

It is a good idea to find out why a test

or treatment is needed and how it can

help. Your child could be better off

without it. 

19. If your child has a test, ask

when the results will be available.

If you don’t hear from the doctor or

the lab, call to ask about the test

results. 

20. Learn about your child’s

condition and treatments by asking

the doctor and nurse and by using

other reliable sources. 

Ask your child’s doctor if his or her

treatment is based on the latest

scientific evidence. For example,

treatment recommendations based on

the latest scientific evidence are

available from the National Guideline

ClearinghouseTM or other Web sites

such as healthfinder® at

http://www.healthfinder.gov/ 

www.ahrq.gov

AHRQ Pub. No. 02-P034

September 2002