OBJECTIVE

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To analyze the medication needs of parents of pediatric children in our hospital regarding drug instructions， and explore improvement strategies， thereby providing a basis for clinically guiding the rational use of drugs in pediatric patients.

METHODS

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A self-designed questionnaire was used to randomly select the parents of pediatric patients in the pediatric outpatient and emergency departments of our hospital from July 1st to September 30th， 2024. A randomized face-to-face survey was conducted regarding their willingness to read drug instructions， their current understanding status， and their needs. The survey results were then statistically analyzed.

RESULTS

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A total of 300 questionnaires were distributed in this survey， and 299 valid questionnaires were recovered， with an effective recovery rate of 99.7%. Before medication， the parents who “always” and “often” read the drug instructions in detail accounted for 39.1% （117 respondents） and 35.1% （105 respondents）， respectively. Statistically significant differences were observed in the willingness to read drug instructions among respondents with varying educational levels and occupations （

P

＜0.05）. Among the 299 respondents， only 48 people （16.1%） “fully understood” the drug instructions， and the average understanding score of all the respondents was （3.77±0.83） points. The stronger the respondents’ willingness to read drug instructions， the higher their understanding scores of drug instructions （

P

＜0.05）. A total of 256 respondents thought that drug instructions were of great help to themselves， and the average helpfulness rating score of all the respondents was （4.28±0.78） points. Under the conditions of varying ages， educational levels， occupations， and willingness to read drug instructions， statistically significant differences were observed in the scores representing the degree of helpfulness of drug instructions to the respondents （

P

＜0.05）. Respondents paid the most attention to content in drug instruct

ions such as “dosage and administration method”， “adverse reactions”， and “indications and therapeutic categories”. The most difficult sections for them to understand included “chemical structure and properties”， “pharmacological and toxicological effects”， and “pharmacokinetics”， etc. The demographic characteristics of the respondents were not significantly associated with the content areas of drug instructions they most desired to see improved

（P

＞0.05）. Most respondents （86.0%） hoped to improve the instructions mainly by “simplifying professional terms to make them more accessible”. Others included “highlighting key information” （60.5%） and “providing more detailed medication guidance” （49.2%）， etc.

CONCLUSIONS

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Parents of pediatric patients in our hospital have a high demand for drug instructions but low comprehension. The pharmacy department should make targeted improvements to drug instructions based on parents’ actual needs， helping them accurately obtain medication knowledge and reduce potential medication safety risks.