New guide on children's medicine

Wednesday December 14th, 2011

A new resource aims to help parents and professionals ensure children's medicines are correct.

The free Medicines for Children
resource was launched on Monday (December 12). It is written and reviewed by paediatricians, pharmacists, parents and carers.

Covering over 100 medicines so far, the service answers many questions that parents often have about how and when to give medicine, as well as potential side-effects.

The experts say that information provided with medicines is often complicated and may not be relevant, so parents can become anxious about the risks of making a mistake.

Paediatrician Dr William van't Hoff, of Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK, said: "The Medicines for Children website aims to support any parent whose child requires medication, from a one-off treatment to others whose child requires long-term and complicated treatment, often with several different medications being given every day.

"We want to encourage all health professionals working with children to direct parents to this important resource for practical and informative advice."

Linda Partridge of the charity WellChild commented: "Our aim is to empower parents and carers to give their children medicines with confidence, having been reassured by information tailored to their needs and in an easily accessibly form. Feedback from parents who have been involved in reviewing the pilot phases of this project has demonstrated the overwhelming and urgent need for this resource."

Pharmacist Dr Stephen Tomlin of Guy's & St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust added: "The development of this resource is ongoing and will continue to be led by feedback from parents and carers."

Tags: Child Health | Pharmaceuticals | UK News

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