Читать книгу Fundamentals of Pharmacology for Children's Nurses - Группа авторов - Страница 28

Lucy is a 3‐month‐old baby who presented to a Children’s Emergency Assessment Department with a 36‐hour history of not taking her milk, being unsettled and crying more than usual. In the last 24 hours her temperature has increased to 38.5°C, she looks flushed, but her hands and feet are cool to touch.

On examination Lucy is crying and not being comforted by being held. As the doctor examines Lucy she is concerned at Lucy’s condition and temperature and is prescribing paracetamol to reduce the discomfort that Lucy appears to be in. The nurse allocated to Lucy weighs her with no clothes on, to gain an accurate weight to be able to calculate the accurate dose of paracetamol for her body weight. Lucy’s weight is 12lb 4oz (5.8kg) and ‘12.4’ is verbally passed on to the doctor writing the prescription.

As the measurement unit was passed on verbally (it was not communicated by writing it down), the doctor wrote the paracetamol dose based on a weight of 12.4kg and not 5.8kg. It was only when drawing up the amount of liquid paracetamol needed that an experienced nurse realised that this was too much for the age of the baby.

 What would you do in this situation?

 What dangers have you identified?

 How could this potential error be prevented in the future?