School of Nursing & Social Work, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VC, Australia.
J Clin Nurs. 2010 Jul;19(13-14):2065-75. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2009.03092.x.
To explore parental management of childhood complaints with respect to factors associated with the purchase of over-the-counter medicines and sources of information accessed by parents.
The use of over-the-counter medicines is extensive, but this practice is not without risks. To ensure safe use, nurses and other healthcare providers need to understand parental reasons for purchase and sources of information they access regarding management practices.
A cross-sectional survey.
Three-hundred and twenty-five parents of children (aged birth to 24 months) were recruited between September 2006-June 2007 from three recruitment sites across Melbourne, Australia. These included the following: outpatient clinics at a major paediatric hospital, maternal and child health centres and a childcare service of a tertiary education institution. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire.
Most parents (82%) purchased over-the-counter medicines if suggested by the doctor and if it had been effective in the past. Doctors were the most frequently cited source of advice for management of complaints such as an ear ache (95%), wheeziness (90%) and rash (77%). Advice from maternal and child health nurses was frequently sought for sleep difficulties (60%), while family or friends were sought for advice on irritability or crankiness (47%) and teething pain (44%).
The findings revealed the impact of healthcare provider recommendations on parental purchase of over-the-counter medicines. Parents mainly sought information and advice from doctors, followed by maternal and child health nurses and family or friends, which appeared to be dependent on the type of childhood complaint.
The use of over-the-counter medicines for symptom management is likely to increase with enhanced focus on self-care. It is important for all healthcare providers to proactively provide accurate, consistent and evidence-based information to parents regarding appropriate management of symptomatic and behavioural complaints.
探讨父母在管理儿童疾病方面的管理情况，包括与父母购买非处方药物和获取信息来源相关的因素。
非处方药物的使用非常广泛，但这种做法并非没有风险。为了确保安全使用，护士和其他医疗保健提供者需要了解父母购买的原因以及他们获取的有关管理实践的信息来源。
横断面调查。
2006 年 9 月至 2007 年 6 月期间，从澳大利亚墨尔本的三个招募地点（一家主要儿科医院的门诊、母婴健康中心和一家三级教育机构的儿童保育服务）招募了 325 名儿童（出生至 24 个月）的父母。使用自我管理问卷收集数据。
大多数父母（82%）如果医生建议并过去有效，他们会购买非处方药物。医生是管理耳痛（95%）、喘息（90%）和皮疹（77%）等疾病最常被引用的建议来源。对于睡眠困难（60%），经常寻求母婴健康护士的建议，而对于易怒或烦躁（47%）和出牙疼痛（44%），则寻求家人或朋友的建议。
研究结果表明，医疗保健提供者的建议对父母购买非处方药物有影响。父母主要从医生那里获取信息和建议，其次是母婴健康护士和家人或朋友，这似乎取决于儿童疾病的类型。
随着自我保健的关注度提高，使用非处方药物进行症状管理的情况可能会增加。所有医疗保健提供者都有责任积极向父母提供有关症状和行为投诉的准确、一致和基于证据的信息，以进行适当的管理。
