Top 10 Interventions in Paediatric Patient Safety

Abstract

Patient safety is at the core of modern healthcare. The concept of harm caused by the processes of healthcare is evolving, and injuries once seen as unavoidable are now seen as preventable and open to mitigation. There is growing evidence of safety interventions that can influence harm. In paediatrics, much of this evidence has been extrapolated from adult studies and the questions that must be asked are as follows: Do these interventions address the major harms seen in paediatrics? And will they work in paediatric populations? Equally important is being able to differentiate between the effect of the intervention and that of the context in which it is to be implemented; what are the foundational elements of patient safety that improve the chances of successful implementation and how do we promote the use improvement science as a means to change behaviour and embed best practice? Separating these features is complex and often leaves questions about what the key components of safety interventions are. An understanding of safety theory and improvement science is required if we are to make progress in the application of complex interventions across multiple care environments. We must find ways to share learning and collaborate with the purpose of accelerating the discovery, spread and application of top safety interventions in what is truly a global challenge.