Optimizing Paediatric Paracetamol Dosing: Transitioning from Age-Based to Automated Weight-Based Calculations in Saudi Arabia
Introduction: Paracetamol is one of the most commonly used over-the-counter (OTC) medications for managing conditions in paediatric patients. Objectives: Evaluate paediatric paracetamol dosing by age versus weight, and propose automated solutions for OTC dosing. Methods: A retrospective study...
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Riyadh Second Health Cluster Research Center, King Fahad Medical City (KFMC)
2025-04-01
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| Series: | The Journal of Medicine, Law & Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://jmlph.net/index.php/jmlph/article/view/187 |
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| author | Amjad Alshammari Almahaa Alshammari Yosra AlJabran Sharafaldeen Bin Nafisah |
| author_facet | Amjad Alshammari Almahaa Alshammari Yosra AlJabran Sharafaldeen Bin Nafisah |
| author_sort | Amjad Alshammari |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Introduction: Paracetamol is one of the most commonly used over-the-counter (OTC) medications for managing conditions in paediatric patients.
Objectives: Evaluate paediatric paracetamol dosing by age versus weight, and propose automated solutions for OTC dosing.
Methods: A retrospective study compared weight-based (15mg/kg) to age-based dosing in children 0-13years of age.
Results: A total of 352 paediatric patients were included, with a mean age of 5years, 4.8 months (SD=48 months) and a median weight of 16.9 kg (IQR:10.4 to 25.75).We observed that 71.59% of patients (n=252) are likely to be underdosed when using age-specific dosages rather than their actual weight. Conversely, 27.56% (n=97) could be overdosed, and only 0.85% (n=3) received an accurate dose. The discrepancies between the age-based and weight-based doses ranged from 1 mg to 928.5 mg per dose. We noted a correlation between the patient's weight and the variation in dose between the two different methods of dosing; r(350)=0.82, p<0.001. The regression was significant [F(1,350)=742.18, p<0.001], with 67.2% of the variability in dose difference explained by the patient's weight. The average difference in dose was 6.9 mg for every kilogram of the patient's weight. A linear regression analysis revealed that the patient's age was also a significant predictor of dose difference (F(1,350)=150.12, p<0.0001), with age explaining 29.8% of the variance. On average, the dose of paracetamol differed by 1.5 mg for each additional month of patient age (p<0.001).
Expected impact: To optimise the dosing of OTC medication and enhance safety, we propose the use of supervised machine learning with Saudi growth charts, and the integration of a weight-based dosing calculator into the ‘Sehaty’ app.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e1c6b02a9c36476b9f6072f2ab669bad |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2788-9815 2788-791X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Riyadh Second Health Cluster Research Center, King Fahad Medical City (KFMC) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal of Medicine, Law & Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-e1c6b02a9c36476b9f6072f2ab669bad2025-08-20T03:52:06ZengRiyadh Second Health Cluster Research Center, King Fahad Medical City (KFMC)The Journal of Medicine, Law & Public Health2788-98152788-791X2025-04-0153 Optimizing Paediatric Paracetamol Dosing: Transitioning from Age-Based to Automated Weight-Based Calculations in Saudi ArabiaAmjad Alshammari0Almahaa Alshammari1Yosra AlJabran2Sharafaldeen Bin Nafisah3Emergency Department, King Fahd Medical City, Saudi Arabia. Emergency Department, King Fahd Medical City, Saudi Arabia. linical Research Department, Second healthcare cluster, King Fahd Medical City, Saudi Arabia. Emergency Department, Disaster Management and Dispatch Center Administration, Clinical Research Department, King Fahd Medical City, Saudi Arabia. Introduction: Paracetamol is one of the most commonly used over-the-counter (OTC) medications for managing conditions in paediatric patients. Objectives: Evaluate paediatric paracetamol dosing by age versus weight, and propose automated solutions for OTC dosing. Methods: A retrospective study compared weight-based (15mg/kg) to age-based dosing in children 0-13years of age. Results: A total of 352 paediatric patients were included, with a mean age of 5years, 4.8 months (SD=48 months) and a median weight of 16.9 kg (IQR:10.4 to 25.75).We observed that 71.59% of patients (n=252) are likely to be underdosed when using age-specific dosages rather than their actual weight. Conversely, 27.56% (n=97) could be overdosed, and only 0.85% (n=3) received an accurate dose. The discrepancies between the age-based and weight-based doses ranged from 1 mg to 928.5 mg per dose. We noted a correlation between the patient's weight and the variation in dose between the two different methods of dosing; r(350)=0.82, p<0.001. The regression was significant [F(1,350)=742.18, p<0.001], with 67.2% of the variability in dose difference explained by the patient's weight. The average difference in dose was 6.9 mg for every kilogram of the patient's weight. A linear regression analysis revealed that the patient's age was also a significant predictor of dose difference (F(1,350)=150.12, p<0.0001), with age explaining 29.8% of the variance. On average, the dose of paracetamol differed by 1.5 mg for each additional month of patient age (p<0.001). Expected impact: To optimise the dosing of OTC medication and enhance safety, we propose the use of supervised machine learning with Saudi growth charts, and the integration of a weight-based dosing calculator into the ‘Sehaty’ app. https://jmlph.net/index.php/jmlph/article/view/187Artificial IntelligenceBody WeightDrug Dosage Calculations Medication ErrorsParacetamol (Acetaminophen)Patient Safety |
| spellingShingle | Amjad Alshammari Almahaa Alshammari Yosra AlJabran Sharafaldeen Bin Nafisah Optimizing Paediatric Paracetamol Dosing: Transitioning from Age-Based to Automated Weight-Based Calculations in Saudi Arabia The Journal of Medicine, Law & Public Health Artificial Intelligence Body Weight Drug Dosage Calculations Medication Errors Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) Patient Safety |
| title | Optimizing Paediatric Paracetamol Dosing: Transitioning from Age-Based to Automated Weight-Based Calculations in Saudi Arabia |
| title_full | Optimizing Paediatric Paracetamol Dosing: Transitioning from Age-Based to Automated Weight-Based Calculations in Saudi Arabia |
| title_fullStr | Optimizing Paediatric Paracetamol Dosing: Transitioning from Age-Based to Automated Weight-Based Calculations in Saudi Arabia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimizing Paediatric Paracetamol Dosing: Transitioning from Age-Based to Automated Weight-Based Calculations in Saudi Arabia |
| title_short | Optimizing Paediatric Paracetamol Dosing: Transitioning from Age-Based to Automated Weight-Based Calculations in Saudi Arabia |
| title_sort | optimizing paediatric paracetamol dosing transitioning from age based to automated weight based calculations in saudi arabia |
| topic | Artificial Intelligence Body Weight Drug Dosage Calculations Medication Errors Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) Patient Safety |
| url | https://jmlph.net/index.php/jmlph/article/view/187 |
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