Pediatric medication safety and the media: what does the public see?
This study analyzed newspaper coverage of pediatric medication errors and adverse drug events in five countries to demonstrate increased interest in the topic over the past decade. Investigators examined the number of articles and the types of events covered and assessed the overall themes presented and framed by the media. The majority of articles published covered patient incidents followed by policy and then research in decreasing order of frequency. Despite the occasional occurrence of sensational reporting on errors, more than 70% of articles that were deemed to be negatively associated with patient safety were covered in a neutral manner.