[The Situation Concerning Medication Administration at Nursery Schools from the Mothers' Perspective Evaluated Using...

Previous studies have reported the inappropriate administration of medication at nursery schools by the staff and a lack of drug-related information from caregivers at the time of request. However, the situation concerning medication administration at nursery schools from the mothers' perspective is unknown and it is not clear what information the mothers provided to nursery staff at the request. We conducted an online survey between April and May 2019 regarding the administration of medication at the nursery school with input from 600 mothers. Overall, 510 (85%) individuals replied that the requests to administer medication were acceptable for all or some of the medications. Application forms for medications were used by 91% of the 301 mothers who had previously made such requests. Although information including the child's name, medication times, illness of the child, parent's name, and dosage form was specified by over 70% of mothers, drug-related information such as effectiveness, side effects, and drug interactions was insufficient. In total, 41 instances of inappropriate medication administration by staff were reported by 35 mothers. It is suggested that the drug information sheets provided by community pharmacies should make up for inadequate drug-related information on application forms for medications to avoid the risk of adverse events and reduce staff burden. Toward this end, it is necessary to provide easily understandable information sheets for nursery staff, as the medication is usually administered by nursery staff, not a nurse. Community pharmacists should support these measures as pharmaceutical professionals.