Читать книгу Fundamentals of Pharmacology for Children's Nurses - Группа авторов - Страница 37

In the first year, babies learn to roll over, sit, crawl, stand and walk. With these developing skills toddlers often want to be in control where they can, and allowing them to hold and press the syringe to control the medicine is often a positive approach for concordance.

As children develop and become more independent with everyday skills, they should understand what medicine they are taking is for and why it is important.

Safety is the priority, and as is highlighted on all medicine containers, medicine must be kept out of the reach of children both in hospital and the community. It is important to watch a child taking their medication to ensure that they have taken it. If medicine is left next to the child in hospital or community, it may be taken by another child, knocked over or forgotten.

In younger children they may not have the ability to swallow a tablet and even in older CYP the tablet may be so large they have difficulty swallowing. In tablets that are enteric‐coated it is important not to crush them so as to aid swallowing. Enteric coating is used for medicines that cause irritation to the upper gastrointestinal tract and the coating is broken down in the stomach by digestive acids, allowing the medication to be absorbed through the stomach and intestines. Crushing the tablet will increase the risk of gastric irritation. Where possible, liquid preparations should be prescribed. This is commonly seen in over the counter medicines that can be purchased in pharmacies or supermarkets, and an example of this is paracetamol, which is available in numerous formats.