KiDSafe – Evaluation of a New Care Model for Medication Therapy in Children and Adolescents (PaedPharm)

In collaboration with the overall project management team at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at Erlangen University Hospital

How Can Children and Adolescents Be Better Protected from Preventable Medication Errors?

The KiDSafe project aims to answer this question. While Erlangen University Hospital is responsible for implementing the intervention, the Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI) is evaluating this complex intervention, designed to improve medication therapy, at 12 children’s hospitals and approximately 240 affiliated pediatric practices throughout Germany.

The PaedPharm intervention consists of three modules: a pediatric medication information system (PaedAMIS, Module 1), regularly held quality circles (PaedZirk, Module 2), and a reporting system for adverse drug reactions (PaedReport, Module 3). The intervention is intended for office-based pediatricians, adolescent medicine specialists, and general practitioners.

Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods (mixed methods), the KiDSafe project team at IMBEI is evaluating the extent to which the intervention can be successfully implemented and whether it can reduce medication-related hospital admissions to children’s hospitals by at least 33%.

The effectiveness of the new care model is being evaluated using a stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trail with six sequences and staggered implementation of the intervention across participating clusters. In addition, a detailed process evaluation is being conducted. Qualitative methods are used to assess implementation effort, practical relevance, willingness to use the intervention, intensity of use, user satisfaction, and barriers. Quantitative methods are used to document implementation and reach.

The findings will show whether and how the PaedPharm intervention can effectively improve the safety of medication therapy for children and adolescents in the future. Based on these findings, the potential integration of PaedPharm into routine care covered by Germany’s statutory health insurance system can be considered.

Project Lead and Contact at IMBEI

Prof. Dr. Michael S. Urschitz