Was it ½ a teaspoon or
tablespoon? This is a common dilemma we
parents face when it comes to dosing our children’s medications. Do you know
the difference between teaspoons and tablespoons? What are mLs and how do they correspond to
teaspoons and tablespoons. A recent article study published by the American
Academy of Pediatrics tackled this conundrum.
Many parents don’t, according to a
study published Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which found more than
10,000 calls to the poison center each year are due to liquid medication dosage
errors.
The study
says part of the reason parents may be confused is because a range of
measurement units – such as teaspoons, tablespoons and milliliters – are often
used interchangeably on labels for prescription and over-the-counter
medications.
Parents
who used the teaspoon and tablespoon dosage were much more likely to use
kitchen spoons to measure their child’s medication and were twice as likely to
make an error in medication, according to the study. Parents who measured their
child’s medication in milliliters were much less likely to make a dosage
mistake.
About 40%
of parents in the study incorrectly measured the dose their doctor prescribed.
The
problem with teaspoon and tablespoon measurements is that their names sound
similar, and their abbreviations, tsp. and tbsp., look similar, study author
Dr. Shonna Yin said.
Parents
should always use the dosing device, such as the cup or syringe that comes with
their child's liquid medication. Kitchen spoons are not a standard dosing
device and aren’t safe to use, Shu said. Shu also recommends that parent's
record the time and dosage of medicine they give their child, to make sure that
they are not giving too much or too often.
If you
suspect you have given your child an incorrect dose of medication, call the
Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/11/11/363024822/trouble-swallowing-pills-try-the-pop-bottle-or-the-lean-forward
