Liquid Drug Dosage Measurement Errors with Different Dosing Devices

Area of Science:

• Pediatric pharmacology
• Medication safety

Background:

• Accurate medication dosing is crucial for pediatric patient safety.
• Parental medication administration errors are a significant concern.
• Various drug delivery devices exist, with differing accuracy levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify dosing errors in paracetamol syrup administration by parents.
• To identify the most preferred drug delivery device.
• To explore factors associated with accurate dosing.

Main Methods:

• Observational study involving 386 parents of children aged 6-60 months.
• Parents measured 5 ml paracetamol syrup using provided devices (spoon, syringe, cup).
• Dose accuracy was verified using a calibrated glass cylinder; errors exceeded 10% variation.

Main Results:

• 72 (18.65%) participants committed dosing errors (mild/moderate).
• Measuring cups were the most preferred device (69.95%).
• Syringe use was linked to significantly higher accuracy (3.57% error) versus spoons (56.25%) and cups (18.88%).

Conclusions:

• Drug delivery device type is the primary factor influencing accurate pediatric medication dosing.
• Dosing syringes offer superior accuracy compared to spoons and cups for paracetamol syrup.
• Interventions promoting syringe use could reduce pediatric dosing errors.