Download
1 / 11
120 likes | 513 Views
Is It Medicine or Is it Candy?. Catherine M. Tom, PharmD Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Long Island University Clinical Pharmacy Manager, Pediatrics Children’s Hospital at Montefiore®. Why Should We Care?.
E N D
Is It Medicine or Is it Candy? Catherine M. Tom, PharmD Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Long Island University Clinical Pharmacy Manager, Pediatrics Children’s Hospital at Montefiore®
Why Should We Care? • It’s a public health concern! • In 2003, 2.4 million calls were made to the AAPCC for accidental poisonings • Peak volume between 4 to 10 pm • Where do they occur most often? • 92.6% occurred at a residence • 1.5% in schools • Children under 6 years comprise >50% of cases reported; 3.1% fatalities • Children younger than 3 make up 39% cases
Analgesics Sedatives/hypnotics/antipsychotics Cleaning substances Antidepressants Bites/envenomations Alcohols Cardiovascular drugs Food products, food poisoning Cosmetics and personal care products Pesticides Chemicals Hydrocarbons Fumes/gases/vapors Anticonvulsants Antihistamines Stimulants/Street Rx Substances Most Frequently Involved in Adult Exposures
Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Cleaning substances Analgesics Foreign bodies Topicals Cough and cold preparations Plants Pesticides Vitamins Antimicrobials Antihistamines Arts/crafts/office supplies GI preparations Hormones/hormone antagonists Electrolytes/minerals Substances Most Frequently Involved in Pediatric Exposures
Consequences of Accidental Ingestions • Emergency department visit • Hospitalization • Death (under 6 years) • 9 unintentional • 7 environmental • 8 therapeutic errors • *12 deaths associated with OTC drugs • *6 deaths from prescription medications • 3 opioids • 2 anticonvulsants • *1 death from adverse drug reaction
Honestly, I’m not trying to sell you anything! Not insurance. Not cleaning supplies. We’re trying to help you use medications safely. Here is some helpful information you might be interested in.
Goals of the Board • Reach families with young kids at home • Parents • Older siblings • Grandparents • Demonstrate how much medicine and candy look alike • a visual worth a thousand words • Raise awareness about medication safety
Some Tips to Offer Parents • Be honest. • Child-proof your home. • Don’t switch containers. • Dispose of medication properly. • Read labels carefully. • Talk to your family.
Top 10 Teaching Points • Kids move fast. • Accidental poisonings can be prevented. • Involve the entire family when teaching. • Medicine is not candy. • Do not pretend candy is medicine. • Measure the medicine accurately. • Medicine should not be shared like candy. • Lock it up and keep it out of reach of children. • Know the Poison Control Center’s phone number (1-800-222-1222). • Over-the-counter medicines and herbal supplements are not safe.
A little education goes a LONG way! YOU can make a difference today!
Some Helpful Websites • http://www.ncpoisoncenter.org/Educational/downloads/CandyMedicineLookAlike.pdf • Poison Prevention Packing: A Text for Pharmacists & Physicians. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, D.C. CPSC 384. 1999. Accessible at URL: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/384.pdf. • Watson WA et al. 2003 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure Surveillance System. Available at URL: http://www.aapcc.org/Annual%20Reports/03report/Annual%20Report%202003.pdf. • http://www.poisonprevention.org/main.html • http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/poison/poison.html
