Medication Safety

Nine out of every 10 poisonings for children ages 12 and younger involve medication errors or unsupervised children taking medicine on their own. With nearly all of these incidents occurring in the home, storing, using, and disposing of over-the-counter and prescription medication is an essential safety check for every parent.

Suggested hashtag: #PreventPoison

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National Experts on Medication Safety

Prevent Child Injury offers members access to spokespeople selected for their knowledge on injury prevention topics. These experts are available to speak to media and other interested parties.

Medication Safety Project Materials

These materials were created by Prevent Child Injury to help spread the key messages on medication safety. Please feel free to use these materials as needed. Most of these materials can be co-branded with your organization’s logo. 

Customizable Press Release
English
Spanish

Newsletter/Blog
English
Spanish

Media Guide
English
Spanish

Facebook/Twitter Posts

Fact graphic – right click to save
English
Spanish

Medication Safety Resources

These resources were created by members and other trusted sources.

Medication Dosing & Errors

Fact Sheets

10 Tips for Giving Children the Right Medicine and the Right Amount Fact Sheet – FDA*

10 Tips to Prevent an Accidental Overdose Fact Sheet – FDA*

Common Questions about Over-the-Counter Medicines and Children – KYOTC*

How to Read Your Medicine Label – KYOTC*

Checklists/Records

Poisoning Emergency Checklist – HRSA*

Videos

Expiration Dates Matter – FDA*

Giving Medicine to Children – FDA*
English
Spanish

Teaching Kids about Using Medicine Safely – FDA*
English
Spanish

Storage & Disposal

Brochures/Fact Sheets/Flyers

How to Dispose of Unused Medicines Fact Sheet – FDA*

Lock Up Poisons Safety Guide – CSPC*
English
Spanish

Medicines Recommended for Disposal by Flushing Fact Sheet – FDA*

Tips for Grandparents on Safe Medication Storage Tip Sheet – UAOS*

Tips for Safe Medicine Storage When Traveling Fact Sheet – UAOS*

Up and Away Brochure – UAOS*
English
Spanish

Up and Away Medication Safety Tip Sheet – UAOS*

Up and Away Poster – UAOS*
English
Spanish

Videos

Lock It Up: Medicine Safety in Your Home – FDA*

POISON PREVENTION: GENERAL

Brochures/Fact Sheets/Flyers

An In-Depth Look at Keeping Young Children Safe around Medicine (2013 Report) – SKW*

Keeping Families Safe Around Medicine Report – SKW*

Kids Aren’t Just Small Adults Brochure – FDA*

Map of Poison Centers Fact Sheet – HRSA*

Medication Safety Tips – SKW*

Safe Storage, Safe Dosing, Safe Kids (2012 Report) – SKW*

Infographics

Kids and Unintentional Medication Overdoses in the U.S. (2012) – SKW*

Medicine Safety 2014 Infographic – SKW*

The Facts about Kids and Medication Safety –SKW*

Videos

Healthline: Medication Safety Report – SKW*

How to Prevent Pediatric Poisoning – CIRP*

Poison Control Center Public Service Announcement – AAPCC*

Prevent a Poisoning – CPSC*

Safe Storage, Safe Dosing, Safe Kids – SKW*

The Today Show: Rossen Reports on Medication Safety for Children – SKW*

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Toolkits By Location:

In & Around the Home
Out & About
On the Road
Miscellaneous

Toolkits By Age:

0 – 4 years
5 – 9 years
10 – 14 years
15+ years

*List of Abbreviations
AAPCC: American Association of Poison Control Centers
CIRP: Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
CPSC: United States Consumer Product Safety Commission
FDA: United States Food and Drug Administration
HRSA: United States Health Resources and Services Administration
KYOTC: KnowYourOTCS.org
SKW: Safe Kids Worldwide
UAOS: Up and Away and Out of Sight

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*Links to other organizations found on this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by Prevent Child Injury, and none should be inferred. Prevent Child Injury is not responsible for the content of the individual organization web pages found at these links.