Improving Medication Safety at Home: A Systematic Review of Educational Interventions for Parents of Paediatric Patients

AIM: Medication errors are a leading cause of preventable harm in paediatric patients, both during hospitalisation and after discharge. Evidence on the effectiveness of educational interventions to improve caregiver medication knowledge remains limited. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (ID: 1114374). Databases were searched for studies (2005-2025) involving paediatric patients (0-16 years) discharged on medication and evaluating caregiver-focused educational interventions. RESULTS: Seven studies (three Randomised controlled trials, three Interrupted Time Series and one cross-sectional) including 1293 participants were included. Interventions commonly combined advanced counselling, health literacy-informed education and standardised dosing tools. Multi-component strategies significantly improved caregiver medication knowledge (p < 0.001 in several studies) and reduced dosing errors (12%-54%, p < 0.05). Only one study assessed adherence, showing improvement. Methodological heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis. CONCLUSION: Structured educational interventions effectively enhance caregiver understanding and reduce medication errors at home. Incorporating literacy-sensitive materials, counselling and dosing tools into discharge processes may improve safety and caregiver confidence. Further research should explore long-term impact, cost-effectiveness and applicability across diverse settings.