Paediatric Medication Errors: Frequency, Types, and Contributing Factors at a Tertiary Hospital in Bauchi State, North East Nigeria

Medication errors in paediatric settings are a significant patient safety concern globally, with children being particularly vulnerable due to weight-based dosing requirements and limited self-reporting capacity. This cross-sectional observational study examines the frequency, types, and contributing factors of paediatric medication errors at a tertiary hospital in Bauchi State, North East Nigeria. Data were collected prospectively over a six-month period through direct observation of prescribing, dispensing, and administration processes, supplemented by voluntary incident reporting. Pharmacists reviewed 840 medication orders, of which 23.6% contained at least one error. Dosing errors were the most frequent type (48.7% of all errors), followed by prescribing incomplete information (26.4%), wrong frequency (14.9%), and drug-drug interaction oversights (10.0%). Underdosing occurred more frequently than overdosing. Contributing factors identified through interviews included heavy prescriber workload, absence of weight-based dosing references at the bedside, illegible handwriting, and absence of clinical pharmacist involvement in ward rounds. Healthcare workers with fewer than five years of experience were more likely to commit prescribing errors. The study recommends implementing a structured medication reconciliation process, introducing weight-based dosing calculators, expanding clinical pharmacy services, and creating a non-punitive incident reporting culture in paediatric wards. Keywords: medication errors, paediatric safety, dosing errors, Bauchi State, North East Nigeria.