Archives of disease in childhood
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At least 5% of paediatric admissions are complicated by medication error. Nurses can prevent some errors by correctly verifying prescriptions before administering drugs, which requires adequate drug calculation skills and familiarity with the BNFc. We wished to explore whether a newly devised chart would improve nurses' dose calculation ability and thus potentially reduce doctors' prescription errors. ⋯ The chart was more reliable, quicker and may be useful for patient safety. Revising the format of the BNFc may be beneficial for nurses.
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To evaluate potential markers of serious bacterial infection (SBI) in infants under 3 months of age presenting with fever of unknown origin. ⋯ PCT, CRP, and leucocyte count have intrinsic predictive value for SBI in febrile infants under 3 months of age. The diagnostic value of PCT is greater than CRP for more invasive bacterial infections and for fever of short duration.
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This article explores gender in relation to Scottish child injury mortality over time. ⋯ The gender pattern of child injury mortality in Scotland is highly variable and changing over time to the point where the previous male excess has almost disappeared in some age and cause categories. The overall male excess in child injury mortality has, however, remained consistent over time although the trend is downwards and converging. These findings are largely unexplained.