Medication Safety and the Accidental Death of a 9-Month-Old

Abstract

Since the turn of the century, there has been a 225% increase in the number of deaths of children under 5 years old caused by opioid poisoning because of accidental ingestion. One measure aimed at reducing this trend, currently being considered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is increasing the safety of opioid use by requiring unit-dose packaging. Another classic measure is educational efforts around medication safety and children. Although medication safety education lacks standardization, stepped-up educational efforts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Safe Kids Worldwide, and others in response to the increase in accidental opioid poisoning in children appear to be making an impact. After the start of these programs' efforts, emergency room visits for children for accidental medicine poisoning have declined by 32%.