Over 80 percent of parents have made at least 1 dosing error when giving medicine to children, study finds

— -- More than 80 percent of parents have made at least one dosing error when administering medicine to their young children, according to a study released today by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The study, called Pictograms, Units and Dosing Tools, and Parent Medication Errors: A Randomized Study, looked at 491 parents of children 8 years old or younger and found that 83.5 percent of parents made at least one dosing error and that 12.1 percent of those errors were overdosing errors.

The study suggested that less-than-optimal labeling and packaging are some of the key contributors to pediatric dosing errors. To prevent errors, the researchers recommended creating more accurate dosing tools.

The researchers also found that providing "pictographic dosing diagrams," or illustrations for parents to follow, and using milliliter-only labels were helpful in preventing dosing errors.