Medication use in nine year olds: types of medicines used and recall of advice given.
Use of medications was investigated in 819 nine year old children living in Dunedin. Twenty-four percent of the cohort (199 children) were given medications during the week prior to interview, mainly on prescription (68%). The majority of medicines used were said to be for respiratory illnesses and oral antibiotics represented a high proportion of prescribed medicines. Most medicines were obtained through a pharmacy (91%), and side effects were noted by nine percent of those taking medications. Some counselling was recalled with 70% of items although, as recalled by the parent, less than 25% of medicines obtained from pharmacies were dispensed or sold with any advice or instruction. The prescriber must ensure that adequate information is provided for the patient. Pharmacists may reinforce this information and provide additional advice on optimum methods of administration. It is debatable whether antibiotics should be used to the extent indicated by this study.
Sinclair
B L
BL
Department of Pharmacology, University of Otago Medical School, Dunedin.
Clark
D W
DW
Facoory
B D
BD
Silva
P A
PA
D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009520:New Zealand; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010372:Pediatrics; D010595:Pharmacists; D010820:Physicians