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Telemedicine consultations decreased physician-related medication errors
Physician-related ED medication errors among seriously ill and injured children in rural EDs were significantly reduced by pediatric critical care telemedicine consultations, according to recent study findings published in Pediatrics.
Madan Dharmar, MBBS, PhD, of the University of California Davis Children’s Hospital, and colleagues evaluated 234 seriously ill and injured children aged 1 to 16 years who presented to eight rural EDs to determine the frequency of physician-related medication errors for children receiving telemedicine consultations (n=73), similar children receiving telephone consultations (n=85), and similar children receiving no consultations (n=76).
Overall, 71.8% of patients received at least one medication while in the ED, and 30 patients had at least one physician-related ED medication error. Fifty-six of the patients in the telemedicine group received at least one medication, and four of those had at least one medication error. Fifty-eight of the patients in the telephone consultation group received at least one medication, and 15 had at least one medication error. Fifty-four of the patients in the no consultation group received at least one medication and 11 had at least one medication error.
More than 400 medications were administered — 33.1% to the telemedicine group, 37.9% to the telephone consultation group and 29% to the no consultation group. The telemedicine group had significantly fewer medications errors (3.4%) compared with the telephone consultation group (10.8%) and the no consultation group (12.5%).
“The use of telemedicine to provide pediatric critical care consultations to rural EDs was associated with significantly fewer physician-related medication errors than providing critical care consultations by telephone or providing care to similarly ill children without pediatrics critical care consultations,” the researchers wrote. “This reduction in medication errors can potentially lead to improved outcomes and/or lower health care costs, although our study does not directly address these questions. Consequently, the use of telemedicine to provide pediatric specialty consultations may be a means to improve patient access to specialists and increase safety for seriously ill or injured children receiving emergency care in rural, underserved hospitals.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
