This course teaches the principles of safe prescribing, preparation and checking of medicines for children, with a strong focus on weight-based dose calculation. It explains why tenfold errors happen, how to prevent them, and what to do if an error occurs, using worked calculations and a realistic case with a weak and strong reflection.
What you will learn
- Calculate weight-based doses, divided daily doses and liquid volumes accurately, and check them against a maximum dose.
- Explain why children are at greater risk of harm from medication errors, including the risk of tenfold errors.
- Apply safe prescribing conventions for children, including writing doses, units and decimal points clearly.
- Carry out a structured independent check of a paediatric prescription or prepared dose.
- Take the correct immediate actions after a paediatric medication error and write a reflection and remediation plan with verifiable evidence.
Course content
- Why children are different (3 min)
- Core calculation skills (5 min)
- Tenfold errors and safe prescribing conventions (3 min)
- Checking: prescriber, pharmacist and nurse (3 min)
- Why paediatric errors happen (1 min)
- When an error happens: immediate actions and regulator expectations (2 min)
- Case study, reflection and remediation plan (4 min)
- Knowledge check (10 questions, 10 min)
- Guided reflection (15 min)
Standards and guidance covered
- GMC: Good Medical Practice (2024) and Good practice in prescribing and managing medicines and devices
- NMC: The Code (2015, updated 2018), including the sections on medicines, record keeping and openness when things go wrong
- NMC: Standards for prescribers (adoption of the RPS Competency Framework for all Prescribers)
- GPhC: Standards for pharmacy professionals (2017)
- Royal Pharmaceutical Society: A Competency Framework for all Prescribers
- BNF for Children (BNFC), current edition, including its guidance on prescribing in children
Certificate
Courses are free to study. When you pass the knowledge check (80%) and complete your reflection, you can buy a verified certificate showing your CPD time, with a unique ID and QR code that anyone can check on our verification page.
Study free at your own pace on any device.
Practitioner Insight is an independent education provider. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the GMC, MPTS, NMC, HCPC, GPhC or any NHS organisation, and this information is not legal advice. If you have been referred to a regulator, speak to your defence organisation, trade union or legal representative.