Queen Elizabeth Hospital has formed a team to review the drug prescription procedure after a wrong dose of morphine was given to a two-week-old boy.

The baby was admitted to the hospital for neonatal jaundice on July 18 and was given 2.5mg morphine on July 23 for sedation during the procedure of examining his airways.

While checking the medical record 15 minutes after the procedure, hospital staff found 0.25mg morphine should have been given instead of the administered 2.5mg morphine.

Follow-up actions

Immediate treatment was given to the baby. No complication was found and his blood oxygen, blood pressure and pulse were normal. The baby appeared sleepy with shallow breathing. His breathing improved after treatment and he was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit for further monitoring.

Following treatment, the residual effect of morphine had worn off and the baby resumed normal condition with smooth feeding.

The incident will not affect the baby's health in the long run, the hospital said, adding it has explained the incident and apologised to the parents.

The hospital will review the drug-prescription procedure and the drug-safety guidelines, and strengthen staff alertness.