Ten guiding principles for teaching children and adolescents about medicines. US Pharmacopeia.

In 1996, an open conference sponsored by the US Pharmacopeia (USP) and attended by more than 100 health care professionals established the need and rationale for teaching children and adolescents about medicines. After the conference, a public, iterative, consensus-development process including participation by 35 health-professional organizations was undertaken. This process resulted in a USP position statement, "Ten Guiding Principles for Teaching Children and Adolescents About Medicines," which supports the right of children and adolescents to receive developmentally appropriate information and direct communications about medicines that are consistent with their health status, capabilities, and culture. The position statement is intended to stimulate activities that will help children become active participants in the process of appropriate use of medicines and prepare them for the day they begin to use medicines independently.

Facilitating a self-care practicum experience in consumer health education.

There has been an increasing public interest in health care issues such as wellness, self-care, and the importance of taking personal responsibility for one's health. In addition to learning preventive health lifestyle measures, this growing consumer interest involves decisions regarding the purchase and use of health products and health services. There is a significant need for effective consumer health education in the schools that focuses not only on transmission of information, but on the development of decision-making skills and on opportunities for practical application. This paper describes an approach to facilitate the development of a self-care practicum experience in consumer health instruction, making use of the resources and expertise of both the school health educator and the school nurse. The approach describes how a planned practicum can move consumer instruction from an information-receiving experience to a participatory experience that facilitates the development of consumer decision-making skills.