An interprofessional approach to improving paediatric medication safety

An interprofessional workshop to facilitate learning of knowledge, core competencies, communication and team working skills in paediatric drug prescribing and administration at undergraduate level was developed and evaluated. The practical, ward-based workshop was delivered to 4th year medical and 3rd year nursing students and evaluated using a pre and post workshop questionnaire with open-ended response questions.Following the workshop, students reported an increase in their knowledge and awareness of paediatric medication safety and the causes of medication errors (p < 0.001), with the greatest increase noted among medical students. Highly significant changes in students' attitudes to shared learning were observed, indicating that safe medication practice is learnt more effectively with students from other healthcare disciplines. Qualitative data revealed that students' participation in the workshop improved communication and teamworking skills, and led to greater awareness of the role of other healthcare professionals.This study has helped bridge the knowledge-skills gap, demonstrating how an interprofessional approach to drug prescribing and administration has the potential to improve quality and safety within healthcare.Safe drug prescribing and administration are essential elements within undergraduate healthcare curricula. However, a number of studies have reported that medical students feel unprepared for this aspect of clinical practice and on completion of undergraduate training they would not meet the competencies identified by the General Medical Council [1-3]. Nurses have reported limited understanding of pharmacology, dissatisfaction with the pre-registration teaching of the subject and feeling unprepared to perform certain tasks within nursing practice because of a lack of knowledge about the drugs they administer [4,5].Drug prescribing is very different in adult and paediatric practice. Infants and children are prescribed fewer drugs than adults, but