Helping parents give children's liquid medicines safely

Leveraging the EHR to Promote Pharmacy Adoption of Dosing Best Practices and Reduce Parent Errors in Administering Pediatric Liquid Medications: A Health Literacy-Informed Approach

This study is testing a new way to help pharmacists give parents the right tools and information to safely measure and give liquid medicine to their kids under 8 years old, especially for those who may have trouble understanding health information.

Quick facts

• Phase: NA
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 500 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years and up
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: NYU Langone Health (other)
• Locations: 3 sites (Brooklyn, New York and 2 other locations)
• Trial ID: NCT05146388 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This study evaluates an electronic health record (EHR)-based intervention designed to enhance pharmacist adherence to recommended dispensing practices for liquid medications. It aims to reduce medication dosing errors made by parents of children aged 8 years and younger by promoting mL-only dosing and providing optimal dosing tools. The study will assess the effectiveness of this intervention in both improving pharmacy practices and decreasing dosing errors, particularly among parents with varying health literacy levels. The research will be conducted with English- and Spanish-speaking parents in pediatric emergency and outpatient settings.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates include English or Spanish-speaking parents or guardians of children prescribed liquid medications who are 18 years or older.

Not a fit: Patients who do not have access to a working phone number or cannot return for follow-up visits may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this intervention could significantly reduce medication dosing errors among parents, leading to safer medication administration for children.

How similar studies have performed: Other studies have shown promise in using electronic health record interventions to improve medication safety, suggesting this approach may be effective.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Caregiver/Child

1. English or Spanish-speaking
2. Parent or legal guardian of a child prescribed a liquid medicine in the NYU Langone Health - Brooklyn or Bellevue ED, general outpatient pediatric clinic, or specialty care clinics
3. 18 years of age or older
4. Child ≤8y discharged home with a Rx for ≥1 daily liquid medication dose ≤10mL, for use as a chronic or short course (≤14 days) medication
5. Primary person who will administer child's medications
6. Access to a smartphone that can take photos and send/receive text messages
7. Willingness and ability to participate

Pharmacy staff

1. Works at a pharmacy that dispensed index medicine to one of our study participants.

Exclusion Criteria:

Caregiver/Child

1. Does not have a working phone number
2. Not able to return for in-person follow-up visit
3. Was told to stop medication by provider after doctor/ED visit
4. Parent no longer having index medication bottle
5. Uncorrected hearing impairment
6. Self-reported poor visual acuity

Pharmacy staff

1. Staff with no responsibility in determining unit of measure to include on Rx's or type/capacity of the dosing tool to dispense for pediatric oral liquid medications.

Where this trial is running

Brooklyn, New York and 2 other locations

• NYU Langone Health - Brooklyn — Brooklyn, New York, United States (RECRUITING)
• Sunset Park Family Health Center at NYU Langone — Brooklyn, New York, United States (RECRUITING)
• NYC Health + Hospitals / Bellevue — New York, New York, United States (NOT_YET_RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: H. Shonna Yin, MD, MS — NYU Langone Health
• Study coordinator: H. Shonna Yin, MD, MS

Conditions: Medication Dosing Error, Electronic Prescriptions, Pharmacy Dispensing Practices