How accurate are household spoons in drug administration?

ABSTRACT

The type of household spoons or measuring devices used by 630 mothers in Kuwait when administering drugs to children was determined. Only a very small percentage of mothers used calibrated measuring devices. The rest used household spoons 99% in the case of those measuring out teaspoonfuls and 92.5% of those measuring out tablespoonfuls. The capacity of the household spoons used was found to range from 2.5 to 5.0 ml for teaspoons and 7.0 to 15.0 ml for tablespoons. Of the mothers using household spoons, 93.5% used a teaspoon with a capacity of children may be receiving inadequate doses of liquid medicines. Accurate drug administration can be assured only by using devices of known capacity. It is recommended that these be made available and parents be provided with directions for their use. The provision of oral syringes is particularly recommended