Related Experiment Videos
Over-the-counter medications. Do parents give what they intend to give?
1Department of Pediatrics, Egleston Children's Hospital, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga., USA. hsimon@emory.edu
Insights
Caregiver dosing of over-the-counter (OTC) medications for children is a significant concern, with only 30% accurately measuring and administering the correct dose. Improved education on OTC medication dosing is crucial for child safety.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Public Health
Background:
- Over-the-counter (OTC) medications are widely used for children's nonemergent health concerns.
- Accurate dosing by caregivers is critical for medication efficacy and safety.
- Previous studies indicate potential caregiver challenges with medication administration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess caregiver accuracy and correctness in dosing OTC medications for children.
- To identify specific areas of difficulty in medication measurement and dose determination.
- To inform the development of targeted caregiver education strategies.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study involving 100 caregivers of children presenting with nonemergent issues at a pediatric emergency department.
- Caregivers completed a questionnaire on demographics and OTC use.
- Caregivers participated in a mock scenario requiring them to determine and measure a dose of acetaminophen.
Main Results:
- Seventy-seven percent of children had used OTCs recently, with acetaminophen (Tylenol) being most common.
- Only 40% of caregivers stated an appropriate acetaminophen dose, and 67% accurately measured their intended dose.
- Overall, only 30% of caregivers demonstrated both an accurately measured and correct dose for their child.
Conclusions:
- Caregiver knowledge and accuracy in dosing OTC medications remain significant concerns.
- A substantial gap exists between reported OTC use and correct administration practices.
- Enhanced caregiver education is essential to improve the accuracy and correctness of OTC medication dosing for children.
Objective:
To evaluate caregiver (parent or guardian) use of over-the-counter medications (OTCs) as related to the accuracy and correctness of dosing for children seen at a pediatric emergency department with nonemergent concerns.
Design:
Prospective patient series.
Setting:
A tertiary care pediatric emergency center.
Participants:
A representative sample of children with nonemergent chief complaints.
Interventions:
A questionnaire about general demographic characteristics, recent OTC use, and medical history of the patients was given to each caregiver. A mock scenario was then presented that required the caregivers to determine and measure a correct dose of acetaminophen for their child. A dose of 9 to 16.5 mg/kg was considered correct. Accuracy of measuring was considered within +/-20% of the caregivers' stated intended dose for their child.
Results:
One hundred caregivers were enrolled in the study. Mean caregivers' age was 29 years, with 82% having at least a high school education. Seventy-seven percent of their children used OTCs within the previous 2 months, and Tylenol (acetaminophen) was the most commonly used. While 66% of the caregivers reported Tylenol use, only 8% reported the use of acetaminophen. During the dosing scenario, only 40% of the caregivers stated an appropriate dose for their child and only 67% accurately measured the amount of acetaminophen they intended. Forty-three percent measured out a correct amount of acetaminophen for their child. However, almost one third of these occurred strictly by accident because they inaccurately measured an improper intended dose. Combining these results, only 30% of the caregivers were able to demonstrate both an accurately measured and correct dose for their child.
Conclusions:
Although a large number of caregivers administer OTCs, knowledge of these medications, and accuracy and correctness of dosing remain a marked concern. Improved caregiver education on the accuracy and correctness of dosing OTCs is necessary.