ADHD medication errors have risen by nearly 300% between 2000 and 2021 for people younger than 20 years old, a new study found. Doctors offer input on causes and prevention.
Amid rising diagnoses, a growing number of kids are getting prescriptions for ADHD medications — but the administered doses aren’t always accurate. Medication errors for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have risen by nearly 300% between 2000 and 2021 for people younger than 20 years old, according to a recent study at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.
Overall, the researchers assessed 87,691 cases of prescription mistakes, according to a press release from Nationwide Children’s Hospital. That broke down to an average of 3,985 per year. There were 5,235 errors reported in the year 2021 alone; that's equivalent to one child every 100 minutes, the release stated. A majority of the errors — 76% — involved male patients. The most affected age group was children between 6 and 12 years old, which comprised 67% of the errors.
The press release specified the following breakdown of medication errors: The data came from the National Poison Data System , which is maintained by America’s Poison Centers, formerly the American Association of Poison Control Centers . 'The increase in ADHD medication errors parallels the increase in ADHD diagnoses,' Dr. Gary Smith, senior author of the study and director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, told Fox News Digital.
Because the study used self-reported data from callers, it cannot be completely verified, Smith noted. 'Additionally, not every exposure represents an overdose or poisoning.' Prevention of future errors The study authors noted that ADHD medication errors are preventable. 'More attention should be given to patient and caregiver education and development of improved child-resistant medication dispensing and tracking systems,' said Smith.
In general, it was simple mistakes that caused the errors, likely due to busy households and distracted caregivers,' he said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 'Some parents with undiagnosed and untreated ADHD themselves may be responsible for the dispensing of medications, a recipe for these kinds of mistakes,' Herman pointed out. 'More education for parents and caregivers is definitely needed to prevent these types of errors.' For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.
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