The BNFc recommends age-banded dosing for children prescribed oral paracetamol for non-post operative pain. This was recently challenged by Kirstie Wright and her colleagues following their study published in Archives of Disease in Childhood. Evaluation of age-banded dosing of oral paracetamol in hospitalised children: a retrospective analysis using clinical data in a tertiary paediatric hospital | Archives of Disease in Childhood (bmj.com)
In this episode, Dr Felicity Cooksey meets with Ceri Gaskell, a specialist pharmacist at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, to explore the debate.
Resources:
- Oral paracetamol dosing in hospitalised children in the UK | Archives of Disease in Childhood (bmj.com)
- Paracetamol | Drugs | BNFC | NICE
- A model for size and age changes in the pharmacokinetics of paracetamol in neonates, infants and children – PMC (nih.gov)
- Drug dosing in Childhood obesity
Ceri’s Book Recommendation: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen