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Manipulating tablets and capsules given to hospitalised children in Norway is common practice

Kathrin Bjerknes1, Silje Bøyum1,2, Solveig Kristensen2

  • 1Hospital Pharmacy Enterprises, Oslo, South Eastern Norway.

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|December 10, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Oral medication manipulation is common in hospitalized children, with tablets frequently altered. This practice requires urgent attention to ensure patient safety and appropriate dosing.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pharmacology
  • Hospital Pharmacy Practice
  • Medication Safety

Background:

  • Oral medicines are frequently administered to hospitalized children.
  • Current practices may involve altering medication dosage forms.
  • Understanding medication manipulation is crucial for pediatric patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and types of oral medicine manipulation in hospitalized children.
  • To evaluate medication manipulation practices in two Norwegian pediatric wards.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted on pediatric wards.
  • Data collected over four weeks in 2013 at two Norwegian hospitals.
  • Medication manipulation defined as deviation from the product characteristics.

Main Results:

  • 17% of 3070 oral medicine administrations involved manipulation.
  • Tablets, including modified-release forms, were most frequently manipulated.
  • Potential bioavailability issues identified for 44% of common substances due to manipulation.

Conclusions:

  • Regular manipulation of oral medications occurs in pediatric settings.
  • There is a critical need for age-appropriate pediatric formulations.
  • Standardized procedures and staff training are essential to mitigate risks associated with medication manipulation.
Abstract

Keywords:
Licenced medicineManipulationOff-label prescribingOral medicinePaediatrics

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