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Cough and cold medication in children: a public health concern
A R Norazida1, S Sivasampu2, C L Teng3
1Ministry of Health Malaysia, Clinical Research Centre, Healthcare Statistics Unit, Malaysia. sheamini@crc.gov.my.
Insights
Cough and cold medicine (CCM) prescriptions are common in children, with nearly half of those under 12 receiving them. This is particularly concerning for children under two years old, highlighting a need for stricter monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pharmacology
- Public Health
- Pharmaceutical Policy
Background:
- Indiscriminate use of cough and cold medicines (CCMs) in children poses a significant public health concern.
- Evaluating CCM prescription patterns in primary care is crucial for understanding usage and potential risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the prescription patterns of cough and cold medicines (CCMs) in children aged 12 years and below within a primary care setting.
- To identify the prevalence and characteristics of CCM prescriptions in pediatric populations.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of prescription data from the National Medical Care Survey (NMCS) 2010.
- Inclusion of children aged 12 years and below from both public and private primary care clinics in Malaysia.
- Cross-sectional survey data collected between December 2009 and April 2010.
Main Results:
- Nearly half (49%) of 3574 pediatric encounters involved CCM prescriptions, totaling 2402 CCMs.
- CCMs were prescribed at a rate of 1.3-1.4 per encounter in public and private clinics, respectively.
- A notable 23% of CCMs were prescribed to children under two years old, with many receiving multiple medications per visit.
Conclusions:
- The high prevalence of CCM prescriptions in children, especially those under two, is a significant concern due to safety and adverse effect risks.
- There is a clear need for firmer policies and enhanced monitoring of CCM prescriptions for pediatric patients.
- The findings underscore the importance of judicious prescribing practices for CCMs in young children.
Background:
The indiscriminate use of cough and cold medicines (CCMs) in children has become a public health concern. The study evaluates the prescription pattern of CCMs in primary care setting.
Methods:
Analysis of CCMs prescription data among children aged 12 years and below who had participated in the National Medical Care Survey (NMCS) 2010. Data was extracted from NMCS 2010, a cross-sectional survey on the primary healthcare service which was carried out from December 2009 to April 2010 in public and private primary care clinics in Malaysia.
Result:
Of 21,868 encounters for NMCS 2010, 3574 (16.3%) were children 12 years old and below; 597 (17%) were from public clinics and 2977 (83%) were from private clinics. Of these 3574 encounters, 1748 (49%) children were prescribed with CCM with total of 2402 CCMs. On average, CCMs were prescribed at a rate of 1.3 CCMs per encounter in public clinics and 1.4 CCMs per encounter in private clinics. CCMs containing single ingredient constituted 77% of the prescriptions while 23% were of multiple ingredient preparations. There were 556 (23%) CCMs prescribed to children younger than 2 years. Majority (65%) were prescribed with one CCM per visit, 32% received two CCMs and 3% of the children received three or more CCMs per visit.
Conclusion:
Prescription of CCMs to children is common. Prevalence of CCM prescriptions among young children is of concern, in view of concerns about the safety and adverse effects related to the use of CCMs in this age group. Firmer policies and greater effort is needed to monitor the prescriptions of CCMs to children.
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