Child Health Patient Safety Watches
Emerging Safety Risks for Pediatric Hospitals
Stay aware of these known risks to ensure patient safety.
Delayed Recognition of Strokes
The numerous varieties of symptoms and risk factors for pediatric strokes make recognition difficult.
Self-Harm During Constant Observation
Complex and demanding health care environments may allow opportunities for patients to attempt self-harm despite observation.
Non-Accidental Trauma
Failure to diagnose non-accidental trauma results in a high likelihood of reoccurring harm.
Bedside Procedures Coordination Failures
Teams may overlook the coordinated planning required to perform complex procedures safely.
Human Risk Factors in ECMO Care
Though ECMO is a life-saving intervention for critically ill children, it can pose significant risks to pediatric populations.
Unrecognized Neonatal Sepsis
Neonatal sepsis often has highly varied and nonspecific symptoms, making it difficult to identify.
Unrecognized Clinical Deterioration
Children compensate differently and for longer periods than adults do, making it more difficult to recognize deterioration.
Pressure Injuries
Pressure injuries occur in up to a quarter of pediatric hospital cases, frequently progress after detection, and may become sentinel events.
Discharge Medication Errors
Pediatric patients are at high risk of medication errors due to age- and weight-based dosing and because some patients may not be able to recognize discrepancies.
About the PSO
The Child Health Patient Safety Organization® enables children’s hospitals to share safety event information and experiences to accelerate the elimination of preventable harm.
