Administration of over-the-counter medication to children at home--a survey of parents from community health centers

Parents (n = 135) were surveyed in relation to administering antipyretic/analgesic medications to their children (2 months-6 years) at home. Parents usually chose acetaminophen, calculated dosages based on weight but did not always know the child's weight, administered medications with a droppe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of community health nursing Vol. 30; no. 3; p. 143
Main Authors Anderson, Colleen, Rolfe, Paula, Brennan-Hunter, Andrea
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.07.2013
Subjects
Adult
Analgesics - therapeutic use
Antipyretics - therapeutic use
Child
Child, Preschool
Community Health Centers - statistics & numerical data
Female
Fever - drug therapy
Home Care Services - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Infant
Male
Middle Aged
Nonprescription Drugs - therapeutic use
Pain - drug therapy
Parents
Surveys and Questionnaires
Young Adult
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Summary:Parents (n = 135) were surveyed in relation to administering antipyretic/analgesic medications to their children (2 months-6 years) at home. Parents usually chose acetaminophen, calculated dosages based on weight but did not always know the child's weight, administered medications with a dropper, and reported having a sick child was moderately stressful. Many children were medicated for pain and/or fever during the week prior to immunization and many weighed more than the age/weight recommended dosages on the label. Community health nurses can facilitate safe administration of medications by integrating knowledge of parents' pain and fever management practices into discussions and anticipatory planning during clinic visits.
ISSN:1532-7655
DOI:10.1080/07370016.2013.806716