Better advice would have suggested the purchase of a dosing device (cup
or tube) marked in milliliters if the pharmacy doesn't provide one for
free. Most Americans do not realize that teaspoons are not all created
equal. No sense in converting from milliliters to an vague unit of
measure such as teaspoons. I doubt that people ever use the teaspoon
measure from their cooking utensil set to measure out cough syrup; they
always pull a spoon from the 'silverware' drawer.
Hopefully when that letter writer follows the advice given to speak to a
pharmacist, that pharmacist will provide or sell a proper dosing device.
Jim
On 2018-03-04 14:58, Peter Goodyear wrote:
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
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] <mailto:[email protected]>
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James R. Frysinger
632 Stoney Point Mountain Road
Doyle TN 38559-3030
(C) 931.212.0267
(H) 931.657.3107
(F) 931.657.3108
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