Enhancing Safe Medication Administration through Double-Check Compliance in Pediatrics
Keywords:
Medication Safety, Double-Check Compliance, Pediatrics, Nursing Quality, Patient Safety.Abstract
Background: Medication errors are one of the most preventable causes of harm in pediatric settings, where patients’ smaller physiological thresholds heighten the risk of adverse events. Baseline audits in April 2025 revealed 67 % compliance with the double-check process for high-alert medications, while 40 % of pediatric medication errors were linked to skipped double-checks.
Objectives:
- Achieve ≥ 95 % compliance with independent double-checks by July 2025.
- Reduce pediatric medication-error OVRs by ≥ 50 %.
- Strengthen nurses’ awareness, accountability, and adherence to safety protocols.
Methods: This Quality Improvement (QI) project used the FOCUS–PDCA approach from May to July 2025 in the Pediatric Ward of Wadi Al-Dawaser General Hospital. Interventions included structured training, standardized checklists, visual cues, simulation sessions, and weekly audit-feedback cycles.
Results: Double-check compliance rose from 58 % (Jan) to 91 % (Jun) (+ 33 points). Medication-error OVRs dropped from 7 to 1 (− 86 %), and near-misses fell from 5 to 1 (− 80 %).
Conclusion: Implementing structured double-check protocols, visual reminders, and ongoing audits substantially reduced pediatric medication errors and strengthened staff vigilance.
