What pediatricians want

“Children are not small adults.” – “Pediatrics Science” by Hong Chang-eui

This is one of my favorite excerpts and a famous quote from the pediatrics textbook. The statement captures the essence of pediatrics study in one sentence and reflects pediatricians’ pride in specializing in the field. Children’s bodies, which are constantly developing, work under different physiological mechanisms from adults. Thus medication doses should not be simply reduced by calculating a child's weight or height in proportion to that of an adult. That may be why pediatricians pay great attention to small figures and meticulously monitor their patients.

We often hear news that frequently prescribed pediatric medications are sold out. It is becoming less common in practice to prescribe medicine based on the physician’s own combination. When prescribing medicine to children, I like to make personal notes about the patient’s preference on the chart, such as ‘prefers strawberry flavor,’ ‘cannot take powdered medicine,’ ‘takes chewable medicine.’ When medicines are prescribed considering the child's preferences and characteristics, it makes it easier for the caregiver to give the medicine and the child, who will consume the precise amount given and recover quickly. Children will notice right away if they receive medicine that is different from their previous prescription, even though the ingredients are different. There is no need to mention generic drugs' efficacy or effectiveness. That is why children's medicines often come in various formulations and flavors.

Since pediatric drugs cannot be directly tested on children, the dosage is often administered by adjusting the verified amount to be safe for adults. For example, powder or syrup is sometimes prescribed to children in small doses such as 0.16 grams. Such prescriptions are inevitably bound to increase when pediatric drugs are frequently sold out.

Issues and solutions to pediatric departments are proposed, along with recent topics such as low birth rates and access to essential medical care. Still, the availability of children’s drugs is also an important issue that should not be overlooked. Pediatricians simply wish to prescribe the medicine that children prefer to have.