David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Spooning Up the Wrong Dose
By TARA PARKER-POPE, New York Times - Well Blog
January 5, 2010
Many people still use kitchen spoons to measure a dose of liquid medication. Now new research shows that the size of the spoon influences our ability to estimate the right dose ? and most of the time, we get it wrong.
A 1992 study of dosing errors reported to poison control centers found that failing to distinguish between teaspoons and tablespoons was a major cause for overdosing of cough and cold medicines and liquid acetaminophen. Although too much cough medicine is typically not a major health worry, many liquid medications contain acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. Acetaminophen overdose is a major health concern and can lead to serious illness, liver failure and even death.
Researchers at the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab have conducted several studies showing how large plate size, oversize ice-cream bowls and wide-rimmed drinking glasses can lead to overindulgence of foods and beverages. Given that so many parents use kitchen spoons to dispense liquid medication, the researchers decided to study how the size of a spoon influenced the amount of medication poured.
The researchers asked 195 university students to pour five milliliters of cold medication into various spoons, including a 5 milliliter teaspoon, a 15 milliliter tablespoon and a 45 milliliter serving spoon.
The students started by filling the five milliliter teaspoon so they could see what five milliliters of liquid looked like. They were then asked to pour a similar amount into the other two spoons.
Despite having just measured five milliliters into the teaspoon, there was a 20 percent difference in the amount poured into the medium and large spoons. When using the medium spoon, students underdosed by 8 percent. When using the larger spoon, they overdosed by about 12 percent, according to a report published this week in The Annals of Internal Medicine.
The researchers noted that nurses or experienced parents might be more confident in their ability to estimate a medication dose. Studies show, however, that experience did not necessarily lead to better estimates. In studies of glass size, experienced bartenders were asked to estimate servings of liquor.
?Even confident veteran bartenders poured 28 percent more liquor into short, wide glasses than into tall, slender glasses of the same volume,? the Cornell researchers Brian Wansink and Koert van Ittersum wrote. ?If a medicine?s efficacy is tied to its dose, it is more effective to strongly encourage a patient to use a measuring cap, dosing spoon, measuring dropper or dosing syringe than to assume that they can rely on their pouring experience and estimation abilities with kitchen spoons.?
By TARA PARKER-POPE, New York Times - Well Blog
January 5, 2010
Many people still use kitchen spoons to measure a dose of liquid medication. Now new research shows that the size of the spoon influences our ability to estimate the right dose ? and most of the time, we get it wrong.
A 1992 study of dosing errors reported to poison control centers found that failing to distinguish between teaspoons and tablespoons was a major cause for overdosing of cough and cold medicines and liquid acetaminophen. Although too much cough medicine is typically not a major health worry, many liquid medications contain acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. Acetaminophen overdose is a major health concern and can lead to serious illness, liver failure and even death.
Researchers at the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab have conducted several studies showing how large plate size, oversize ice-cream bowls and wide-rimmed drinking glasses can lead to overindulgence of foods and beverages. Given that so many parents use kitchen spoons to dispense liquid medication, the researchers decided to study how the size of a spoon influenced the amount of medication poured.
The researchers asked 195 university students to pour five milliliters of cold medication into various spoons, including a 5 milliliter teaspoon, a 15 milliliter tablespoon and a 45 milliliter serving spoon.
The students started by filling the five milliliter teaspoon so they could see what five milliliters of liquid looked like. They were then asked to pour a similar amount into the other two spoons.
Despite having just measured five milliliters into the teaspoon, there was a 20 percent difference in the amount poured into the medium and large spoons. When using the medium spoon, students underdosed by 8 percent. When using the larger spoon, they overdosed by about 12 percent, according to a report published this week in The Annals of Internal Medicine.
The researchers noted that nurses or experienced parents might be more confident in their ability to estimate a medication dose. Studies show, however, that experience did not necessarily lead to better estimates. In studies of glass size, experienced bartenders were asked to estimate servings of liquor.
?Even confident veteran bartenders poured 28 percent more liquor into short, wide glasses than into tall, slender glasses of the same volume,? the Cornell researchers Brian Wansink and Koert van Ittersum wrote. ?If a medicine?s efficacy is tied to its dose, it is more effective to strongly encourage a patient to use a measuring cap, dosing spoon, measuring dropper or dosing syringe than to assume that they can rely on their pouring experience and estimation abilities with kitchen spoons.?
