Evaluation of Guidance Provided on Labels of Paediatric Oral Liquid Medications Dispensed by Community Pharmacies

Effective understanding of medicine labels by caregivers is essential to ensure safe and optimal health outcomes for children. This study aimed to examine how instructions on oral liquid medicines dispensed in community pharmacies to children were presented, with a focus on variations in elements that may affect comprehension. A retrospective audit was conducted on the labeling of oral liquid medicines provided to children aged fourteen years and younger by community pharmacies in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The analysis considered how dose and dosing frequency were presented, the stated indication, treatment duration, and the use of special characters. Ethical approval was obtained from the Auckland Health Research Ethics Committee (Reference no: AH23844), and the study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki. A total of 2,637 oral liquid medicine labels for 745 children, dispensed from 194 community pharmacies, were reviewed. Dosages were expressed in words (31.0%), numbers (40.3%), or a combination of both (28.7%). Most labels (58.1%) specified the number of doses per day without indicating the exact time or interval between doses. Explicit instructions regarding the time of day were present in only 4.8% of labels, while dosing intervals in hours were included in 31.1% of cases. There was substantial variation in label elements that can affect caregiver comprehension. Further investigation is required to identify the most effective label format and to assess whether Aotearoa New Zealand would benefit from its own guidelines for best practice in dispensing medicine labels.

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