I story in the WSJ Blog really resonated with me. The story concerned medical errors in hospitalized children.  A medical error in a child is all the more dangerous than that of an adult, because there is less room for error. Because of a child’s small body size and mass, even small drug errors can have devastating consequences.  Infants are more prone to infections than the rest of the population, due to their immature immune systems.  If staff do not wash their hands between patients, a deadly infection for that child can result.

According to the  WSJ blog:  “In a bid to get parents to take a more active role in keeping their hosptialized kids safe, the Joint Commission is launching a new pediatric effort as part of its long-running “Speak Up” campaign, which encourages patients to say something if they see a potential error or problem with their care.”

This makes perfect sense, but most of the parents I encounter would be way to intimidated or embarrassed to interrupt a health care professional to ask them what they are doing.

We, the health care professionals, should be the ones to Speak Up.  When parents are at the bedside we should explain and show them how we wash our hands before touching their baby.  I always show the parents the drug I am administering, tell them the dose, and what it is for.  We should explain all procedures, and if possible, let the parent stay at the bedside while we perform them.

I can’t imagine the pain and guilt a parent would feel if their child was harmed in a medical error.  It will happen, but we can all take steps to prevent it.  Parents should stay with their child as much as possible during their hospitalization.  You know your kids best, we are mere helpers.  Health care professionals should explain and demonstrate everything they are doing for that child.  Be open and honest, not intimidated by the parent’s questions.

Working as a team with the parents will help to decrease medical errors.  It is a culture shift we need to get used to .

RR