Cough and cold medication use in young children: Pharmacist reaction to changes in Canada.

OBJECTIVE

To gauge how community pharmacists will approach questions from the public after Canada begins requiring product labels to state that cough and cold medications should not be used in children younger than 6 years of age.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Province of Saskatchewan, Canada, in February 2009.

PARTICIPANTS

143 community pharmacists.

INTERVENTION: Questionnaire was faxed to target group.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Estimates of product use in children aged 2 years to younger than 6 years, pharmacist satisfaction with the new guidelines, and potential plans when the new labels reach the market.

RESULTS

143 pharmacists returned a completed questionnaire by fax. Pharmacists currently recommend products for head colds for children aged 2 years to younger than 6 years more often than antitussives for coughs. More pharmacists were dissatisfied with the new ruling compared with those who were satisfied, with a main concern being that it went too far. Respondents indicated that when the new labels are implemented, they would be more likely to recommend use of the products among close family members than among the public.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest some support for product efficacy but possible concern over potential liability. Pharmacists are also concerned that removing dosing guidelines from packaging may not fully deter parental use of such products.