A Quality Improvement Project Improves Vancomycin Dosing in Children

Achieving an adequate vancomycin trough of 15 to 20 µg/mL quickly is important in treating serious infections and has been shown to improve outcomes. In pediatric patients, recommended vancomycin dosing is 15 mg/kg intravenously every 6 hours (maximum, 750 mg/dose) for mild-to-moderate infections and 20 mg/kg intravenously every 6 hours (maximum, 750 mg/dose) for severe infections.

To improve adherence to vancomycin dosing guidelines and success in achieving adequate trough concentrations, a multidisciplinary clinical team (three physicians, a nurse, and a pediatric pharmacist) at one institution established and disseminated a dosing guideline setting trough targets of 10 to 15 µg/mL for moderate infections and 15 to 20 µg/mL for severe infe…