Caregivers' knowledge about children's paracetamol

Although safe, paracetamol, commonly used in children, can cause adverse events if not administered correctly. This research aimed to investigate caregivers' knowledge about children's paracetamol. A convenience sample of caregivers who had purchased Children's Panadol were asked to complete an online survey, assessing their knowledge of paracetamol. Most of the 174 respondents were female (93.7%), highly-educated (72.4%) with adequate functional health literacy (85.6%). Almost all respondents correctly identified that Children's Panadol contained paracetamol (96.6%). However, approximately a quarter of them did not know the maximum daily dose (26.4%), just under half (46%) did not know how many days this dose could be safely given, and over one-third (37.4%) did not know that liver toxicity could result from overdose. These findings suggest that adult caregivers administering paracetamol to children have gaps in their knowledge. Strategies to help improve caregiver's knowledge about the correct and safe administration of children's paracetamol need to be considered.