“But it's just paracetamol”: Caregivers' ability to administer over-the-counter painkillers to children with the information provided

•We interviewed 60 caregivers and seven pharmacists about OTC medication information.•Caregivers found it difficult to understand scientific terms in all information.•10% of respondents were unable to understand dosage requirements for children.•43% of pharmacists felt the information was ineffective in preventing overdosing.

ObjectiveTo determine whether caregivers are able to make informed decisions about their families' use of over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers through access to and use of three mechanisms of information provision.MethodsA cross sectional, face-to-face questionnaire was administered to 60 caregivers and seven pharmacists in Cape Town, South Africa. Caregivers answered questions related to paracetamol (acetaminophen) labels, inserts and Patient Information Leaflets (PIL).ResultsMost study caregivers received labels with the painkillers they purchased. Many pharmacists (43%) felt that the information provided was ineffective in preventing overdosing. Study caregivers found it difficult to understand the scientific terms in all three mechanisms of information provision. Most respondents (80%) found the PIL easiest to understand, yet few had received PILs with their purchase. Ten percent of literate respondents were unable to understand the dosage requirements for children.ConclusionMost caregivers are not able to make informed decisions from the information provided with OTC painkillers. This is mostly attributable to limited provision of information and low health literacy.Practice implicationsWritten information with OTC medications in simple language and verbal counselling at dispensaries would play a significant role in increasing the health literacy of especially at risk populations of over-dosing their children.