It's no secret that we don't, but the Consumer Health Products Assn may help put and to that.
Paul Trusten, R.Ph. Vice President and Public Relations Director U.S. Metric Association, Inc. Midland, Texas US www.metric.org +1(432)528-7724 trus...@grandecom.net On Jan 31, 2011, at 12:43, "Martin Vlietstra" <vliets...@btinternet.com> wrote: > Paul, > > I don’t know how often US residents are given millilitre measurement devices > with their medicines. In the UK it is the norm. Is the US behind the UK? I > am sure that you don’t want to admit to that, and even less the President. > > Martin > > From: owner-u...@colostate.edu [mailto:owner-u...@colostate.edu] On Behalf Of > Paul Trusten > Sent: 31 January 2011 17:39 > To: U.S. Metric Association > Subject: [USMA:49716] Re: a non-metric U.S. can kill children > > Also, John, the completion of the metrication of these dosage volumes > involves making certain that the patient or the patient's caregiver gets a > milliliter-scale measuring tube or spoon and is shown how to use it. But it > wouldn't stop there. The U.S. needs a public service announcement campaign to > spread the word about the metrication of oral liquids, explaining that > teaspooons are unsafe and that they should use milliliters as shown by their > pharmacist. > > Paul > ----- Original Message ----- > From: John M. Steele > To: U.S. Metric Association > Sent: 31 January, 2011 05:39 > Subject: [USMA:49711] Re: a non-metric U.S. can kill children > > Paul, > I don't understand this from the article: > "The boys father says he was diagnosed with an ear infection and given the > wrong dosage by a 24-hour pharmacy, 2 teaspoons instead of 2 milligrams." > > > > If the dose printed was 2 tsp, it must have been a liquid medicine. It may > have been a reporter error ( 2 mL??), but the dose should have been a volume > in milliliters. If doctors, pharmacists, or vets (in the case of pet owners) > believe the public can work concepts of weight based dosing or concentrations > of liquid medicine, they are wrong. I help out at a conversion site, and > there is endless confusion over the concepts. The doctor or pharmacist must > reduce the dose to a patient-specific, volumetric dose for a liquid medicine; > of course, they must work it correctly, too. > > > From: Paul Trusten <trus...@grandecom.net> > To: U.S. Metric Association <usma@colostate.edu> > Sent: Mon, January 31, 2011 4:03:55 AM > Subject: [USMA:49710] a non-metric U.S. can kill children > > The President > The White House > Washington, DC 29599 > 2011-01-31 > > Dear Mr. President, > > A few days ago, I wrote to you urging that the U.S. finally achieve its goal > of changing over to the SI metric system of measurement for the economic and > academic health of the nation. Sometimes, however, our country needs to > change over to metric for health reasons, period. My subject line in this > e-mail is no exaggeration. American children are often harmed, or even > killed, because our citizens, along with our healthcare professionals, drag > traditional units of measurement (such as the teaspoonful) from the society > at large into the hospital or clinic. Too many times, we read of stories > such as the one in the links below, where teaspoonsful and mililiters or > milligrams get confused. Although the Institute for Safe Medication > Practices reconnended in 2009 that only metric units be used in connection > with prescriptions, the following continues to take place, and will continue > to take place until we as a people use only one system of measurement > (metric): > > http://www.theredheadedpharmacist.com/?p=2956 > > http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13923416 > > We need your leadership to help us "go metric" and save American lives. > > SIncerely, > > > Paul Trusten, R.Ph. , Vice President and Public Relations Director > U.S. Metric Association, Inc. > www.metric.org > trus...@grandecom.net > +1(432)528-8824 > > > > > >
