Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Oct;8(4):238-42.
doi: 10.4321/s1886-36552010000400006. Epub 2010 Mar 15.

New Zealand parent's perceptions of the use and safety of over the counter liquid analgesics

Sarah K Bushby  1 , Rachel J Anderson  1 , Rhiannon Braund  2
Affiliations

New Zealand parent's perceptions of the use and safety of over the counter liquid analgesics

Sarah K Bushby et al. Pharm Pract (Granada). 2010 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge of parents and caregivers with respect to the purchase, use and storage of liquid analgesics purchased over the counter (OTC) from pharmacies. This would enable specific strategies to be identified to increase awareness of the potential risks of these products.

Methods: Questionnaires were developed and used a combination of Likert Scales, open ended questions and yes/no answers. Randomly chosen New Zealand pharmacies (463) were asked to approach a person purchasing liquid analgesics and ask them to complete the questionnaire. Of the 105 pharmacies that participated, 96 completed parent/caregiver questionnaires were returned.

Results: When choosing a product there was a statistically significant difference between the most important factors 'safety' and 'active ingredient' and the least important factors 'cost' and if the parent/caregiver 'used it before'. All parents/caregivers claim to have received verbal information from pharmacy staff, with 40% stating that they 'always' receive information. The majority of parents/caregivers store medicines in a high place (n=61), in a cupboard (n=56) or a combination of these. Over half (52%) of the parents/caregivers thought that children could 'never' open child resistant closures.

Conclusion: Whilst parents and caregivers choose products based on perceived safety, there is an over estimation in the perception of the protection that a child resistant closure actually offers. The general public needs to continually be vigilant in the use, storage and administration when using medication in the vicinity of children.

Keywords: Analgesics; Child; Drug Packaging; New Zealand; Nonprescription Drugs; Poisoning.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

There are no conflicts of interest to declare.

Funding information: Funding of the studentship for SB was provided by the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of New Zealand.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The number of respondents indicating the storage area for medications. * n=192 as multiple responses indicated
Figure 2
Figure 2
The number of respondents indicating where and when they believe children most commonly access medications involved in poisonings. * n=142 as multiple responses indicated
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lagerlov P, Helseth S, Holager T. Childhood illnesses and the use of paracetamol (acetaminophen): a qualitative study of parents’ management of common childhood illnesses. Fam Pract. 2003;20(6):717–23. - PubMed
    1. Wazaify M, Shields E, Hughes CM, McElnay JC. Societal perspectives on over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. Fam Pract. 2005;22(2):170–176. - PubMed
    1. Chien C, Marriott JL, Ashby K, Ozanne-Smith J. Unintentional ingestion of over the counter medications in children less than 5 years old. J Paediatr Child Health. 2003;39(4):264–269. - PubMed
    1. Eiland LS, Salazar ML, English TM. Caregivers’ perspectives when evaluating nonprescription medication utilization in children. Clin Pediatr (Phill) 2008;47(6):578–587. - PubMed
    1. Walsh A, Edwards H, Fraser J. Over-the-counter medication use for childhood fever: a cross-sectional study of Australian parents. J Paediatr Child Health. 2007;43(9):601–606. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources