title: [Criteria for good prescribing practice in children].
abstract: Paediatric prescribing is complex. A whole range of aspects needs to be considered to achieve an efficacious and safe drug therapy for children. Legal requirements for prescribing are clearly insufficient for this purpose. Children are immature individuals under constant growth and development. Consequently, based on age and cognitive abilities of the child individual drugs and dosing regimens have to be chosen. Frequent off-label use and a lack of age-appropriate formulation worsen the situation. Additionally, not all dosage forms are similarly adequate in different age groups. Taste significantly influences patient adherence. Dose calculations based on body weight are prone to errors, putting a point on the wrong place or mixing up measuring units easily result in ten-fold dosing errors. Computer-based tools to enhance prescribing are promising but, however, not yet widely implemented in paediatrics because of missing evidence-based data sources and the hugely complex process. Communication between clinicians and pharmacists as well as with the patient remains very important.
authors.affiliation: Kinder- und Jugendklinik, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen.
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neubert
authors.affiliation: Kinder- und Jugendklinik, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wimmer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004304:Dosage Forms / Q000592:standards; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005858:Germany; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control; D059065:Medication Reconciliation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D056687:Off-Label Use / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D004304:Dosage Forms; D055553:Prescription Drugs