Leanne Patel, clinical pharmacist and Dr. Anthony Crocco, pediatric emergency physician have led a patient safety initiative at McMaster Children’s Hospital that has eliminated the use of codeine, which can be harmful for some children, in pediatric care at the hospital. For many health care providers, codeine has been somewhat of a household name in the realm of pain management. Codeine, an opioid medication available in various forms, was commonly used to treat mild to moderate pain, and could either be prescribed or purchased without a prescription in some combination products behind the pharmacy counter. In order for codeine to do its work in relieving pain, it first needs to be converted by our bodies into morphine. But not everyone processes codeine the same. For some, the