"Prescriptions ought to indicate the child's weight to enable the pharmacist to check whether the dosage makes sense," notes Lin. During the neonatal and infancy stages, digestion and bowel movements are slow and ingested drugs tend to remain in the intestine for a relatively long period. Because young children's kidney function is immature, some drugs can have a toxic effect on them.
「處方上應該標示小孩的年齡和體重，以便藥劑師核對劑量是否合理，」林慧玲指出，新生兒、幼兒階段，胃出空與腸蠕動較慢，藥物吸收會因在腸道停留的時間較長而增加，在孩子肝腎功能未臻成熟下，部分藥品會造成毒性。