The next-to-last paragraph is the most worrisome. Doing things right has
to start with the pharmacists
Jim
Spoonfuls can lead to medicine errors, study finds
By Associated Press
Monday, July 14, 2014
CHICAGO — The song says a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,
but a study says that kind of imprecise measurement can lead to
potentially dangerous dosing mistakes.
The results, published online Monday in Pediatrics, underscore
recommendations that droppers and syringes that measure in milliliters
be used for liquid medicines — not spoons.
The study involved nearly 300 parents, mostly Hispanics, with children
younger than 9 years old. The youngsters were treated for various
illnesses at two New York City emergency rooms and sent home with
prescriptions for liquid medicines, mostly antibiotics.
Parents were contacted afterward and asked by phone how they had
measured the prescribed doses. They also brought their measuring devices
to the researchers' offices to demonstrate doses they'd given their kids.
Parents who used spoonfuls "were 50% more likely to give their children
incorrect doses than those who measured in more precise milliliter
units," said Dr. Alan Mendelsohn, a co-author and associate professor at
New York University's medical school.
Incorrect doses included giving too much and too little, which can both
be dangerous, he said. Underdosing may not adequately treat an illness
and can lead to medication-resistant infections, while overdoses may
cause illness or side effects that can be life-threatening. The study
doesn't include information on any ill effects from dosing mistakes.
Almost one-third of the parents gave the wrong dose and 1 in 6 used a
kitchen spoon rather than a device like an oral syringe or dropper that
lists doses in milliliters.
Less than half the prescriptions specified doses in milliliters. But
even when they did, the medicine bottle label often listed doses in
teaspoons. Parents often assume that means any similar-sized kitchen
spoon, the authors said.
"Outreach to pharmacists and other health professionals is needed to
promote the consistent use of milliliter units between prescriptions and
bottle labels," the authors said.
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