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Delivering Medication Safety Messages to Young Audiences

Generation Rx medication safety patch

A new 4-H project book published in partnership with The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy teaches medication safety to elementary students.

By Emily Jacobs

When it comes to teaching children healthy habits, medication safety may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Yet it could be a lifesaving lesson. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that 8,986 children and adolescents died from opioid poisonings between 1999 and 2016. The mortality rate for this period increased 268.2 percent. Thousands of children visit the emergency department every year for accidental medicine poisoning. Numerous such cases are preventable.

Many U.S. children have some experience with medication use. According to data published by the CDC in 2019, 18 percent of U.S. children under age 12 use prescription medications. That does not include over-the-counter medicines and supplements, such as cough syrup or children’s vitamins. Even if a child does not take medicine, someone else in the household probably does. Age-appropriate lessons about medication safety can help teach children how to use medicine correctly, avoid accidental poisoning and may even help them avoid substance misuse later in life.

Generation Rx at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy has partnered with Ohio 4-H to create a new project book, “Medicine Science and Safety,” that aims to teach students in third through fifth grade about the proper use of medications and how they are developed. The project book is the creation of Dr. Cynthia Canan, director of the Generation Rx Lab at COSI; Dr. Molly Downing, associate director of Generation Rx; and Dr. Katie Summers, Generation Rx project faculty.

Generation Rx provides free educational resources that teach safe medication practices among all ages and help prevent medication misuse. The program was launched at OSU College of Pharmacy in 2007 and powered through a partnership with the Cardinal Health Foundation since 2009. With the “Medicine Science and Safety” project book, Generation Rx wanted to publish a resource that matched its key messages on medication safety and used evidence-based, age-appropriate learning techniques.

Positive Associations With Pharmacy

Downing pointed out that children in elementary school are at a critical age to learn about the proper handling, storing and use of medications. “Our philosophy is that, because our society consumes billions of medications each year and medication is easily accessible and visible in their homes, that [children] should be equipped with an understanding of medication safety at an early age,” she explained. “It's really about equipping them with a foundation for understanding how to safely use the medicine before they enter those teen and adult years, where that concept of misuse behaviors may come into play.”

Our philosophy is that, because our society consumes billions of medications each year and medication is easily accessible and visible in their homes, that [children] should be equipped with an understanding of medication safety at an early age. It's really about equipping them with a foundation for understanding how to safely use the medicine before they enter those teen and adult years, where that concept of misuse behaviors may come into play.

Dr. Molly Downing

The project book includes five hands-on activities that address four medication safety principles:

  • Talk with trusted adults about medicine.
  • Take your medication as instructed.
  • Never share your medicine.
  • Keep medication safe in your home.

Each project book allows students to learn about a topic through 4-H’s experiential learning model. Participants work through a self-paced, guided project and record their results within the book’s pages. Students are also encouraged to engage in service learning by sharing this knowledge within their social groups or through community projects. A series of questions helps students process their experiences and apply their new skills.

For example, to illustrate the concept of following medication instructions, students were told to follow a specific set of directions for building a paper airplane. They then followed a second, different set of instructions. At the end of the lesson, students could see how two sets of instructions yielded two different results. This provided a hands-on illustration of how changing medication directions may impact health-related outcomes.

The 4-H project book is not the first time that Generation Rx has partnered with organizations to teach age-appropriate medication safety. Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland also have the option of earning a Generation Rx medication safety patch. To receive this patch, participants must connect with local pharmacists and doctors and learn how to safely store, use and handle medication. Unlike the 4-H project book, which focuses on older elementary students, the Girl Scout patch program (PDF) spans from kindergarten through high school. Currently, the 4-H project book and the Girl Scout Generation Rx patch are only available to participants located in Ohio; however, work with the organizations is underway to apply those projects to their national programs.

Besides promoting medication safety, Generation Rx leaders also hope to promote interest in medicine and other areas of science through positive, effective learning experiences. For example, when the project book discusses the importance of not sharing medicine with others, it includes age-appropriate education related to genetics and DNA. More specifically, students who complete the project book receive an introduction to pharmaceutical careers. Each concept or activity in the project book profiles different career paths within the field of pharmacy. These include the community pharmacist, pharmacy technician, pharmaceutical scientist and the hospital pharmacist.

“When we think about pharmacists, we always try to highlight to students the community pharmacists that [children] recognize and have seen before,” Downing said. “But to also understand that it's so much more than that.”

In a student-led collaborative within the OSU College of Pharmacy, student pharmacists are spearheading Generation Rx programming efforts and community outreach efforts. This includes engaging with 4-H students as a “trusted adult,” or working with Girl Scout troop leaders in medication safety programs. This year, a pharmacy student-led collaborative from OSU will work directly with 4-H students. Due to disruptions during the pandemic, this will be the first academic year for in-person partnership.

“Creating space and opportunities in their professional training for community outreach allows student pharmacists to leave feeling like, ‘I've developed a passion,’” Downing noted. “We think they're poised to be change-makers in the community and hope that medication safety outreach becomes part of what they feel like their job responsibilities are.”

Emily Jacobs is a freelance writer based in Toledo, Ohio.

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