Discussion: Drug Use in Pediatrics

Discussion: Drug Use in Pediatrics

A Sample Answer For the Assignment: Discussion: Drug Use in Pediatrics

Off-label drug use among children is when prescription medications are used to treat conditions not approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration; this practice is widespread; nearly half of the drugs prescribed to kids are used off-label (Meng et al., 2022; Allen et al., 2018). However, its safety and effectiveness remain highly controversial.This paper addresses specific instances when children should receive off-label use drugs as well as strategies that make this practice safer for infants to adolescents.

Circumstances for Prescribe Drugs for Off-Label Use in Children

Children may sometimes require off-label drugs to treat certain conditions effectively. A good example of this is the use of Fluoxetine for OCD, even though the FDA has not approved them for treatment of this disorder (Shuib et al., 2021). Antipsychotic medication could also prove helpful against severe behavioral problems associated with Autism or ADHD, even though only intended for adult treatment.

Off-label drugs may also be prescribed when there are no approved treatments available to pediatric patients; such as when cancer drugs approved by adult medicine have not been studied on children who also suffer from that form of cancer; healthcare providers must carefully weigh potential risks against benefits to ensure that any medication prescribed meets all standards in terms of patient safety and satisfaction.

Strategies for Safer Off-Label Use in Children

Various approaches should be employed when prescribing off-label drugs to children to ensure their

safety and efficacy. One strategy involves closely tracking a patient’s medication response and making appropriate dosage changes (Meng, Zhou, et al., 2022). Another strategy might involve pairing the drug with additional therapies like behavioral or psychotherapy sessions for optimal effectiveness and reducing the prescribed dose. Finally, healthcare providers must factor in age, weight and overall health status when prescribing an individualized dosage schedule for every child they treat.

Healthcare providers must exercise extreme care when prescribing off-label drugs to pediatric patients. Opioids like codeine and tramadol that could potentially cause respiratory depression in young children must only be prescribed with consultation from healthcare professionals beforehand, while antibiotics such as tetracyclines have the potential of discoloring tooth enamel; all must be considered carefully to ensure safe and effective off-label drug usage among pediatric patients (Meng, Zhou, et al., 2022). By considering such factors, healthcare providers can ensure the safe and effective usage of off-label medicines among pediatric patients.

Conclusion

Off-label drug usage by children remains a controversial subject. They may be necessary in certain instances; however, when making this decision it should be approached carefully. While limited research exists regarding their safety and efficacy in kids, this might be their only treatment option in certain instances. Healthcare providers must carefully weigh the potential risks and benefits of off-label drug usage among children before prescribing.

When administering off-label medicines to kids, various strategies can be employed to safeguard safety and efficacy. One strategy involves closely tracking how well patients react to the medication and making any necessary dosage adjustments accordingly. Another tactic involves using medication alongside behavioral or psychotherapeutic therapies as complementary measures.

When determining an ideal dosage regimen, healthcare providers should also factor in the child’s age, weight, and health status. Being essential in expanding the evidence base and safety when prescribing off-label medicines to children. As research progresses, it is paramount that healthcare practitioners remain diligent in assuring the safe and effective use of off-label medications within pediatric populations.

References

Allen, H. C., Garbe, M. C., Lees, J., Aziz, N., Chaaban, H., Miller, J. L., Johnson, P., & DeLeon, S. (2018). Off-label medication use in children, more common than we think: A systematic review of the literature. The Journal of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, 111(8), 776–783.

Meng, M., Lv, M., Wang, L., Yang, B., Jiao, P., Lei, W., Lan, H., Shen, Q., Luo, X., Zhou, Q., Yu, X., Xun, Y., Lei, R., Hou, T., Chen, Y., & Li, Q. (2022). Off-label use of drugs in pediatrics: a scoping review. European Journal of Pediatrics, 181(9), 3259–3269. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-022-04515-7

Meng, M., Zhou, Q., Lei, W., Tian, M., Wang, P., Liu, Y., Sun, Y., Chen, Y., & Li, Q. (2022). Recommendations on off-label drug use in pediatric guidelines. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13, 892574. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.892574

Shuib, W., Wu, X.-Y., & Xiao, F. (2021). Extent, reasons and consequences of off-labeled and unlicensed drug prescription in hospitalized children: a narrative review. World Journal of Pediatrics: WJP, 17(4), 341–354. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-021-00430-3

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Question Description

The unapproved use of approved drugs, also called off-label use, with children is quite common. This is because pediatric dosage guidelines are typically unavailable, since very few drugs have been specifically researched and tested with children.

When treating children, prescribers often adjust dosages approved for adults to accommodate a child’s weight. However, children are not just “smaller” adults. Adults and children process and respond to drugs differently in their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.

Children even respond differently during stages from infancy to adolescence. This poses potential safety concerns when prescribing drugs to pediatric patients. As an advanced practice nurse, you have to be aware of safety implications of the off-label use of drugs with this patient group.

To Prepare

Review the interactive media piece in this week’s Resources and reflect on the types of drugs used to treat pediatric patients with mood disorders.
Reflect on situations in which children should be prescribed drugs for off-label use.
Think about strategies to make the off-label use and dosage of drugs safer for children from infancy to adolescence. Consider specific off-label drugs that you think require extra care and attention when used in pediatrics.
Write a 1-page narrative in APA format that addresses the following:

Explain the circumstances under which children should be prescribed drugs for off-label use. Be specific and provide examples.
Describe strategies to make the off-label use and dosage of drugs safer for children from infancy to adolescence. Include descriptions and names of off-label drugs that require extra care and attention when used in pediatrics.

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.

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Discussion Questions (DQ)

• Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
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• One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
• I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

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• In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
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• I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6^th edition.

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• I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
• As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
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• For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
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• Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
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• If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
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