Multiple studies have shown that patients and families leave the emergency department (ED) without full understanding of their discharge instruction and without knowing how to safely dose medications for their children. These communication challenges are particularly severe for families with limited health literacy or limited English proficiency. Understanding how best to teach families complex information in the time-limited and hectic setting of the ED can help us improve patient outcomes and safety following emergency care, and improve teaching of families across a variety of pediatric care environments—including day surgery, procedures, and sick visits to primary care. Ultimately, the goal of this work is to develop a structured system for teaching and ensuring comprehension to improve child health outcomes and reduce disparities in care.

We have developed an intervention, MEDS (Medication Education for Dosing Safety), designed from best practices from the literature with patient and family perspectives. In a small pilot trial, the MEDS intervention improved parents ability to safely dose medications for their children.