Dosing Errors Common with Liquid Medications for Children

According to laboratory experiments, four out of five parents made at least one dosing error when using either a dosing cup or an oral syringe when dispensing liquid medication to their children. Researchers asked over 2,000 parents of children age eight or younger to measure nine doses of liquid medication. The results revealed that parents gave the wrong dose 43% of the time when using a dosing cup and 16% of the time when using an oral syringe. Furthermore, more than two-thirds of the dosing errors involved overdosing. The findings are concerning as dosage for children is based on weight and too much or too little could place a child in danger. Parents need to pay more attention to measuring the correct dosages, such as pouring the liquid medication into a dosing cup, and then drawing it up into an oral syringe to double check they are administering the correct amount. Pediatrics, September 2016