Children: Learning outcomes
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After completing this tutorial, you will be able to:
- Describe some of the most common questions about medicines that you are likely to face when your patient is a child.
- Make decisions that are clinically appropriate and practical, and mindful of relevant legislation and expert guidance.
- Summarise the most common reasons for medication errors in children.
You can download a PDF of this whole tutorial (without interactive elements such as Learning Exercises) and a one-page summary of key points.

Competencies
If you are a hospital pre-registration pharmacist, this tutorial may help you achieve GPhC performance standards such as these:- A1.6 Make decisions which demonstrate clear and logical thought
- A.3 Manage problems.
- C1.5 Perform calculations correctly
- C2.1 Provide considered and correct answers to queries, founded on research-based evidence
If you are a foundation pharmacist, this tutorial may assist with meeting certain competencies from the RPS framework including:
- 1.4 Selection of the medicine (medicine-medicine, medicine-patient, and medicine-disease interactions).
- 1.5 Medicine specific issues (ensures appropriate dose and regimen, formulation and concentration)
- 1.7 Monitoring medicine therapy.
- 3.1 Gathering information
- 3.3 Analysing information
Continuing professional development
Finally, here are some CPD activities you could consider:
★ Speaking to a parent or child on long-term medicines. Ask them about their experiences of taking medicines, how it impacts upon their lives and any challenges they may face.
★ Shadowing your paediatric pharmacist on a ward round or multi-disciplinary team meeting. Ask them to help you choose a patient who requires their medicines optimising and work through this together.
★ Reviewing the errors and near misses from your Trust that involve children and medicines. Are there any common themes? How could these be avoided?
★ Speaking to a parent or child on long-term medicines. Ask them about their experiences of taking medicines, how it impacts upon their lives and any challenges they may face.
★ Shadowing your paediatric pharmacist on a ward round or multi-disciplinary team meeting. Ask them to help you choose a patient who requires their medicines optimising and work through this together.
★ Reviewing the errors and near misses from your Trust that involve children and medicines. Are there any common themes? How could these be avoided?