During Inpatient, Children Given Medication Overuse

Babies and children in the hospital with a particular disease condition are usually receiving multiple medications during their hospitalization. Children tend to get excessive drug at that time.

"On the first day in the hospital of children, infants younger than 1 year are likely to get an average of four different drugs," explains Chris Feudtner, MD, PhD, of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, USA, as reported by reported by Medpagetoday, Wednesday (09/07/2011).

After a week in the hospital of children, infants have received an average of 29 drugs or therapeutic agents are different. The researchers reported the study online in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

"The number of different types of drugs found in this study raises concerns for patient safety, given the relationship between the number of medications and their side effects," wrote Feudtner and colleagues.

In recent years, attention began to focus on safety and efficacy of pediatric medicine. Feudtner access data from the Pediatric Health Information System and Data Warehouse perspective that collects data from public and academic hospitals across the U.S..

Researchers analyzed the admissions during 2006. There are countless children who received 491 451 365 868 times 52 hospital inpatient pediatric hospitalizations and 221 559 times in 411 public hospitals.

The most common type of drug administered in the hospital children is intravenous fluids and electrolytes. Both treatments were administered to patients aged 1 to 17 years in the range of 78.5 to 79 percent of patients.

Three major drugs are administered in the hospital the children by age is:
1. Younger than 1 year: heparin (43%), acetaminophen (41%), ampicillin (31%)
2. Ages 1 to 9 years: acetaminophen (42%), heparin (36.6%), ondansetron (28%)
3. Ages 10 to 17 knew: ondansetron (40%), acetaminophen (39%), morphine (38%)

While three of the medications given to children in public hospitals are:

1. Younger than 1 year: ampicillin (39%), vitamin K (31%), erythromycin (30%)
2. Ages 1 to 9 years: acetaminophen (43%), ceftriaxone (32%), albuterol (24%)
3. Ages 10 to 17 years: fentanyl (32%), morphine (30%), acetaminophen (29%)
The number of drugs given to increase steadily over a long hospital stay. After one month in children's hospitals, the average baby has gained 25 drugs.

When the researchers analyzed the administration of drugs in accordance with a specific diagnosis, was found up to 74 different drugs used in hospitals and children 7 to 59 kinds of drugs in public hospitals.

"We share the anxiety with the authors associated with the treatment given the number of hospitalizations in children, but our biggest concern is the lack of information that will tell us if these practices are problematic for patients," wrote Nancy E. Morden, MD, and David Goodman, MD, of Dartmouth Institute.

In particular, they both voiced concerns about the long-term effects of many drugs in children with chronic conditions who are required to use the drug for several decades.