Influences of pictogram-based instructions in paediatric drug labelling on dosing accuracy among caregivers: a pilot study from Malaysia

Abstract

Objectives To investigate the influences of pictographic dosing instructions used in pediatric drug labeling on dosing accuracy. Methods Children's caregivers who presented to a government‐funded hospital and received a short‐course antibiotic in liquid formulation were enrolled. They were randomized into two groups, receiving either a text‐only label (control; n = 31) or a pictogram‐plus‐text label (intervention; n = 32). Each participant was asked to measure the prescribed dose by using the label as the guidance, and dosing accuracy was assessed through direct observation. Key findings The intervention group made significantly fewer errors than did the control group (unadjusted OR: 0.192 (95% CI: 0.037, 0.990); P = 0.043). Conclusions By incorporating pictographic dosing instructions into the paediatric drug labelling, out‐of‐hospital medication errors can potentially be reduced.