Factors Associated With Dispensing Dosage Delivery Devices.

Abstract

A potential cause of medication errors in children is imprecise measurements, particularly using household spoons. There are no regulations requiring dispensing dose delivery devices (DDDs) with liquid prescription medications. Local, regional, and national pharmacy practice patterns are largely unknown. This study sought to determine how frequently devices are provided with prescription pediatric liquid medications with instructions for their use at pharmacies in Bronx, New York, and to examine which pharmacy and pharmacist characteristics are associated with reported practices. All pharmacies in Bronx, New York, were identified using an online telephone directory. A telephone survey was administered to the senior-level pharmacist that elicited availability of DDDs, whether pharmacy policy regarding dispensing devices existed, the pharmacist's personal practice of dispensing devices, and years in practice. In total, 268 pharmacies were contacted; 214 had free DDDs (79.9%) most of the time, 97.8% had them available to buy, and 160 (59.7%) had no policy regarding dispensing devices. Overall, 199 pharmacists (74.3%) routinely dispensed devices, and 195 (73.3%) demonstrated the use of devices. However, 94 pharmacists (35.3%) recommended using a household spoon to measure correct doses at least some of the time. Pharmacists were less likely to give devices as their years in practice increased. In our study, many Bronx pharmacies had no policy regarding dispensing DDDs for prescription liquid medications, and dispensing practices varied among pharmacists based on years in practice. If similar trends are found in other areas, standardizing pharmacy policy and pharmacists' practices may decrease morbidity in children due to medication measurement errors.