Background Pharmacists recognised that appropriate doses of oral antibiotics in suspension formulations were not being administered to paediatric patients because of either (a) inappropriate dose selection by prescribers or (b) failure of community pharmacists to advise parents of appropriate administration instructions. These problems were thought to persist because of lack of recognition of the necessity to dose on the basis of weight.

Purpose To improve the dosing accuracy by informing the parents about appropriate doses in emergency services when accompanying doctors during the prescribing process.

Materials and methods We communicated with doctors about the examination process in the emergency services and reached a consensus about the best cooperative working method. Pharmacists made the necessary intervention during prescribing or doctors referred parents to the pharmacist for advice regarding instructions for administering the antibiotic. Due to a requirement for fast interaction during the examination and quick feedback, a dose calculator program was prepared in Excel for all antibiotics available for children on the Turkish market. Because specific doses were being suggested and it was impossible to measure these doses with the spoon provided with the oral suspension, a syringe was supplied when necessary. Thus appropriate and measurable doses were provided.

Results Over a 3-month period, our pharmacists made dose suggestions for 136 children. Average age of the population was 27 months old and average weight was 12.9 kilograms. For 43 patients (31.61%) the suggested dose was lower than the prescribers’; for 69 patients (50.73%) our pharmacists made the calculation following the doctors’ referral. 9 parents (6.61%) did not wish to accept the service.

Conclusions Hospital pharmacists may contribute positively to patient experiences when actively involved at the point of prescribing. We expect similar studies at other patient interfaces to emulate the positive findings outlined here.

No conflict of interest.