Every day, 93 Australian children present to emergency departments due to medicine-related problems—half of which are preventable​. From accidental poisoning and dosing errors to off-label use, medicine safety remains a critical issue in paediatric care. This panel discussion brings together leading experts, including representatives from the poisons hotline, hospital pharmacists, and primary care practitioners, to explore the risks, challenges, and strategies to enhance medicine safety for children. Attendees will gain insights into common medicine errors, the role of pharmacists in reducing harm, and key policy recommendations to improve safe medicine use in paediatric settings.
Learning objectives
- Recognise the most common medicine-related risks in paediatric care.
- Discuss the role of pharmacists, poison information services, and healthcare teams in improving medicine safety for children.
- Describe evidence-based strategies to enhance paediatric medicine safety.
Competency standards (2016): 1.6, 2.4, 3.5, 3.6
