Many children present to the Emergency Department with fever, aches and pains. Many of these children’s parents will have already tried acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Some will be concerned that these medicines are not working. If you have encountered this exact scenario (you all have right?) here is some salient advice…

Ask parents EXACTLY how much acetaminophen/ibuprofen they are giving in mg or mL

There have been numerous studies of parent dosing of these medications in the ED. For instance Goldman et. al noted that nearly half of parents in the ED underused acetaminophen, and many would have not come to the ED in the first place had they seen the intended response at home.