Evaluation of Pharmacist Perceptions and Practices Regarding Dispensing Oral Liquid Medications

Studies have demonstrated that using milliliters (mL)-only in dosing instructions and on dosing devices for oral liquid medications (OLMs) can prevent patient/caregiver dosing errors. While previous studies have assessed the perceptions/practices of primary care providers (PCPs) regarding dosing units for OLMs, perceptions/practices of community-based pharmacists are not well described.

Data were collected in June 2024, through an online survey of retail pharmacists. Pharmacist perceptions/practices regarding OLMs were calculated overall and stratified by the number of years practicing pharmacy. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between certain characteristics and perceptions on pharmacist dispensing behaviors.

A total of 201 pharmacists completed the survey. Pharmacists who had been practicing for <10 years were more likely to think that mL-only was safest to use in dosing instructions for OLMs (88.9%) and that patients/caregivers prefer dosing instructions in mL-only (73.3%) compared to those who had been practicing for ≥10 years (70.5% and 37.2%, respectively). Only one-third (33.8%) of all pharmacists reported that they would convert the dosing units dispensed on a prescription for oral liquid amoxicillin to mL-only if the prescriber wrote the dosing instructions in teaspoons; with pharmacist perception that mL-only was the safest to use in dosing instructions having the most significant impact on this dispensing behavior (adjusted odds ratio 11.37, 95% confidence interval 3.20-40.44).

Educational efforts promoting the importance of using mL-only units on dosing instructions/devices for OLMs for pharmacists and PCPs may be necessary to promote safe dosing practices and reduce pediatric medication errors.