This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on ISI (8)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related article  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Randomized Controlled Trial  • Pediatrics, Other  • Drug Therapy  • Alert me on articles by topic

Karen S. Frush, MD; Xuemei Luo, PhD; Paul Hutchinson, BS; Jennifer N. Higgins, BS

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2004;158:620-624.

Objectives  To introduce a simple method of dosing over-the-counter medication in a home setting using a color-coding concept and to compare dosing deviation from recommended dosage using the color-coded method with dosing deviation using conventional package labeling.

Design  Randomized controlled clinical trial.

Setting  Pediatric emergency center at a tertiary care medical center.

Participants  A sample of 101 caregivers of children with nonemergent complaints separated into 2 groups. One group used a conventional dosing method and the other group used a color-coded method to determine and measure a dose of acetaminophen for their child.

Main Outcome Measures  For both dose determination and dose measuring, percentage of deviation from recommended acetaminophen dosage was calculated and compared between the 2 groups.

Results  There was no significant difference in sociodemographic characteristics between the 2 groups. How-ever, for dose determination, the average deviation (25.8% vs 1.7%) and median deviation (1% vs 0%) from recommended dosage were both higher for the group using conventional methods compared with the group using the color-coded method. The Wilcoxon rank sum test indicated that the median deviation was significantly different between the 2 groups (P<.001). Similar results were obtained for dose measuring. The average deviation (29% vs 0.5%) and the median deviation (17.2% vs 0%) from recommended dosage were higher for the group using conventional methods compared with the group using the color-coded method. The median deviation was also significantly different between the 2 groups (P<.001).

Conclusion  This study suggests a marked improvement in caregivers' ability to correctly determine and measure an over-the-counter medication for their child using a color-coded method compared with conventional methods.

From the Division of Emergency Medicine (Dr Frush) and Center for Clinical Effectiveness (Dr Luo), Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, and Georgetown School of Medicine (Mr Hutchinson) and The Advisory Board Company (Ms Higgins), Washington, DC.

RELATED ARTICLE

Does a Color-Coded Method for Measuring Acetaminophen Doses Reduce the Likelihood of Dosing Error?
Cynthia M. Rand, Kelly M. Conn, Crista N. Crittenden, and Jill S. Halterman
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2004;158(7):625-627.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Accuracy of Oral Liquid Measuring Devices: Comparison of Dosing Cup and Oral Dosing Syringe
Sobhani et al.
The Annals of Pharmacotherapy 2008;42:46-52.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Suitability of written supplemental materials available on the Internet for nonprescription medications
Wallace et al.
Am J Health Syst Pharm 2006;63:71-78.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Do Spanish- Speaking Latino Parents Understand Written Medication Instructions?
Hargunani
AAP Grand Rounds 2005;13:53-54.
FULL TEXT  

Reducing OTC medication errors
Kemp
AAP News 2004;25:162-162.
FULL TEXT  

Does a Color-Coded Method for Measuring Acetaminophen Doses Reduce the Likelihood of Dosing Error?
Rand et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2004;158:625-627.
FULL TEXT