Prescription of Paracetamol as an Antipyretic in Paediatrics: Analysis of Practices in a National Teaching Hospital

Prescriptions of paracetamol for paediatric inpatients at Mater Dei Hospital, a national acute and teaching hospital in Malta, were analysed for sources of error with the British National Formulary for Children used to establish the correct prescribing standard. 54.5% of prescriptions we found to not follow the correct standard leading to incorrect dosing. Of these cases, 50% were due to the same dose of paracetamol being prescribed for oral, intravenous and rectal routes. In the other 50%, oral doses were calculated by weight instead of using fixed dose ranges based on age.