Abstract
Objective: To assess the accuracy of the parent understanding of pediatric prescription and prescribed medications and examine factors associated. Methods: Cross-sectional, observational questionnaire-based study involving 354 eligible parents was carried out in the pediatric department of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Parent's sociodemographic details and their understanding of prescription including medication name, indication, dose, frequency, and duration were assessed by a self-administered questionnaire and their association analyzed statistically. Results: Mean age of parents was 33 ± 1.2 with the majority of females 57.06%. Out of 354 parents, 22.32% had low literacy and 37.74% were working as farmers. Overall understanding of prescription was present in only 25.14% of parents. The majority of parents were having a better understanding of the frequency of drug administration (79.09), while poor understanding was observed with respect to dosage calculation of medication (45.76%) and adverse drug reactions (25.14%) and the difference in the understanding was statistically significant (P<0.05). Factors like the age of parents, Child’s age, parent occupation, education of parent, experience in administering medicine, number of medicines prescribed, and type of dosage form were significantly impacting parent’s understanding regarding medication (P<0.05). Conclusion: Unperceived medication instruction understanding gaps exist at all literacy levels for pediatric patients among all parents. Communication and care delivery practices need further evaluation. Practice implications: Clinicians should be aware of the frequency of parent medication misunderstanding and give more attention to parents’ counseling.
Highlights
Prescription is a written communication from treating physicians to pharmacists and patients for the execution of the treatment
It is essential to convey what is written in the prescription to pharmacists and patients otherwise it can lead to usage of the incorrect drug, inadequate dose, and may be associated with potentially harmful medication errors
Patients often fail to understand the appropriate dosage of the medication as well as its beneficial effects and side effects
Summary
Prescription is a written communication from treating physicians to pharmacists and patients for the execution of the treatment. It is essential to convey what is written in the prescription to pharmacists and patients otherwise it can lead to usage of the incorrect drug, inadequate dose, and may be associated with potentially harmful medication errors. Patients often fail to understand the appropriate dosage of the medication as well as its beneficial effects and side effects. Medicines can harm the patients instead of producing beneficial effects. [1,2,3] Pharmacists can contribute to positive outcomes by educating and counseling patients to prepare and motivate them to follow their pharmacotherapeutic regimens and monitoring plans and help in reducing medicine errors [3] Most doctors are aware of the importance of the patient’s knowledge of prescription when dealing with medicines, most of them hardly make appropriate efforts to communicate the same to them. [1,2,3] Pharmacists can contribute to positive outcomes by educating and counseling patients to prepare and motivate them to follow their pharmacotherapeutic regimens and monitoring plans and help in reducing medicine errors [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Pediatric Review: International Journal of Pediatric Research
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
