Medication Safety Tips For Children

Be involved in your child's health care. Children are not small adults. Recent studies show that the potential for adverse drug events was three times higher in children. Your pediatrician or family physician prescribes medications, but as a parent, guardian or day care provider, you are the person who purchases and/or administers drugs to children in your care. Following are safety tips for helping children avoid medication errors, which could result in injury or death.

•   Take part in all decisions regarding your child's health. Ask questions about all medications prescribed for your child. Don't be shy, ask to have any questions or concerns answered or explained.
  
  
•   Tell the physician and pharmacist if you are giving your child non-prescription medications, vitamins, herbals or other dietary supplements. Take a complete list of anything that your child takes with you to your doctor's appointment and pharmacy.
  
  
•   Tell your physician and pharmacist about any allergies your child may have now or in the past.
  
  
•   Make sure that you can read the prescription when given to you at the physician 's office. If you cannot, the pharmacist may not be able to either. Ask the doctor to print the name of the drug. Know the name of your child's doctor. Also, ask the doctor to print his or her name.
  
  
•   Look at the label when you pick up your child's medication. If you do not understand everything on the label, ask your pharmacist to explain the label to you.
  
  
•   Ask your pharmacist to give you printed patient information on the medication prescribed for your child. If you do not understand the patient information, call your doctor or pharmacist for clarification.
  
  
•   Ask your pharmacist how to measure liquid medicine. Pharmacists can show you how to use a marked syringe or a dosing spoon for measuring liquid medications. Your teaspoon or tablespoon at home is not accurate enough for measuring medications.
  
  
•   Do not split or crush medications for your child unless your doctor or pharmacist has instructed you to do so.
  
  
•   Report any problems your child may be having with the medication. If the child seems to be having a reaction to the medication, call your pharmacist or doctor immediately.
  
  
•   Do not give medications prescribed for one of your children to another child in your family. Physicians must consider weight and age when prescribing medications for children. Other factors such as allergies can cause serious problems if a child receives a drug not prescribed for him or her.
  
  
•   Provide your day care or school with thorough instructions for administering medications to your child. Ask the day care provider to repeat instructions to you and to record when and how medications have been given. Provide thorough instructions to your child's school, if the child must have medications during the school day.
  
  
•   If your child misses a dose or takes more medication than recommended, call your doctor or pharmacists for instructions in what to do.
  
  
•   If your child swallows medications, prescription or non-prescription, that are not prescribed for him or her, call the poison control center immediately. Hennepin Regional Poison Center Emergency phone: 1-800-222-1222 (voice and TTY).
  
  
•   Disposal of needles and sharps: The American Diabetes Association recommends that parents of children with diabetes maintain safe disposal of needles and syringes. The ADA recommends the following:
  

1. Store the used needles and sharps in a metal or hard plastic container with a lid. Suggestion is a metal box with a tight-fitting lid or an empty laundry soap container and discard in the trash.
2. Purchase a safe-clip at you local pharmacy to dispose of the needle and discard the syringe in the trash.
3. Call your state health department to inquire about local laws covering disposal of medical waste. Some states have strict requirements.