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The present situation of the alternation of dosage forms in dispensing of oral drug products for pediatric patients in Seoul National Univ. Children¢¥s Hospital was studied. The total prescriptions in July 1988, were 16,058. The alternations were as follows: tablets and capsules intended for constitution as powders; tablets and powders as capsules; tablets and powders as tablets; tablets, powders and injection as liquids. The kinds of the oral drug products prescribed were 254, including 139 for alternation (57.4£¥). The total number of dispensing oral drugs was 17,692 and that of dispensing after alternation was 5,311 in it(29.6£¥). The alternations consisted of 56.5£¥ for grinding tablets for constitution as powders, 16.3£¥ for opening of capsules as powders. The most reason of alternation was that the absence of dosage form equal to the dose prescribed(61.0£¥). The highest frequency of alternation was showed in the department of thoracic surgery(77.8£¥) in outpatient¢¥s prescriptions and showed in neonate intensive care unit(45.6£¥) in inpatients¢¥. On the basis of the results of this study, several problems caused by the alternation were discussed, such as changes in bioavailibility, loss in dose, stability and the problem of feeding. It was suggested that the information in alternation must be given by the pharmaceutical manufacturer and the hospital pharmacists must consider these problems in pediatric dispensing. Above all, it was more desirable to develope pediatric dosage forms by the pharmaceutical manufacturer.
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