Health care system administering medications

Health care systems should assign pharmacists to work in patient care areas in direct collaboration with prescribers and those administering medications. 

Health care providers including nurses, pharmacists, and physicians should demonstrate to parents and older children how medications should be administered and offer appropriate dosing devices (oral syringe, dropper, cylindrical medication spoon, or a small-volume doser with attachable nipple) to enable parents to accurately measure liquid products. A household teaspoon or tablespoon should not be used for medication administration because they are inaccurate. Kraus and Stohlmeyer explain the use of a new oral liquid medication delivery system that can be used for infants and young children who still use a bottle for feeding. 

Health care providers must report all events requiring medical attention within 30 days of vaccination to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which serves as a central depot for vaccine-related adverse effects. Only a temporal association between the adverse event and vaccine administration needs to be made. No adverse event rates can be determined because only the number of adverse events reported is known the number of vaccines administered is not known. This database can be used to determine changes in adverse-event frequencies, to evaluate risk factors for adverse events, and to find rare adverse events VAERS report forms can be obtained by calling 1-800-822-7967, or reports can be made online at www.vaers.com. 

Since most systemic sensitizers are drugs, it would be unlikely that photosensitivity to systemic agents would occur in the workplace as a function of chemical exposure on the job. Of course, many patients with outdoor occupations would be liable for occupationally related reactions due to drugs they take for personal medical problems. Many of the systemic photosensitizers listed in Table 4 can cause photo-contact reactions in health-care workers who have topical exposure to these medications while delivering them to their patients and in farmers who administer drugs to animals. Therefore, the vast majority of occupationally related photosensitivity reactions are due to PACD and PICD. 

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