Hello, everyone, Here is a letter to an American newspaper questioning why cough syrup is prescribed in doses of millilitres, which the customer is not familiar with, instead of teaspoons, which the customer knows. (I have included the whole letter and its reply, as I had some difficulties accessing the page.)
From the Bismarck Tribune, Bismarck, North Dakota, Sunday, 04 March, 2018: Dear Annie: I recently filled a prescription for cough syrup that called for a 10-milliliter dosage. We do not use liters in this country. I had to go online to convert the amount to teaspoons. Could you give a shout to physicians, nurse practitioners and pharmacists to let them know how dangerous this practice is to the patient? -- Irked Dear Irked: I did some research to figure out why the pharmaceutical industry would use the metric system in the United States, where it might as well be Greek to many people. According to the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs, a nonprofit standards development organization, the International System of Units, known as SI, is better for designating dosages than the U.S. customary system. The reason is consistency. While the U.S. system has 300 different units, the SI has just seven base units. From the NCPDP: “The use of multiple volumetric units (e.g., teaspoons, tablespoons, droppersful) and multiple abbreviations ... (increases) the likelihood of dosing errors.” That said, the most important thing is that the patient understands how to take the medication he or she is prescribed, and it’s health care providers’ job to see to that. The next time you pick up a prescription, ask your pharmacist for help with converting the dosage. http://bismarcktribune.com/lifestyles/dear-annie/article_c441cc1f-f0c6-51ff-bfb0-a8de2dc3d573.html <http://bismarcktribune.com/lifestyles/dear-annie/article_c441cc1f-f0c6-51ff-bfb0-a8de2dc3d573.html> The response from the newspaper’s advice columnist doesn’t mention the variability of doses when given by teaspoons rather than dosing cups or spoons etc, or that the pharmacist should have given the patient one, so this would be a perfect opportunity for the USMA to reach out to the public, especially as your organisation’s President is a pharmacist. Best wishes, Peter, Melbourne, Australia e-mail: [email protected]
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