Terence Stephenson, vice president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, also said providing medicine in child-sized doses would help.
He was speaking in response to research by the University of Nottingham, which said a lack of practical training in giving children doses might increase the risk of error.
The study, Educational Interventions to Reduce Prescribing Errors, led by Dr Sharon Conroy, quizzed healthcare professionals and looked at previous research. It found children pose a risk because doctors have to calculate doses, which increases the chance of error.
Stephenson said: "One way forward is electronic prescribing. That reduces the risk of error because there are built-in checks. We often have to use medicine designed for adults so we need to develop a medicine made up in the measure for children."
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
