Capella University-Patient Education Assessment

Patient Education

Part 1: Amoxil patient Information

What is Amoxil?

•    Amoxil is a penicillin antibiotic used to fight infections caused by bacteria including ear infections Pneumonia, and bladder infection (Lieberthal et al., 2013).

Possible side effects

•    Emergency aid is desirable if signs of an allergic response are identified. The signs include breathing difficulties, irritation, and inflammation of the tongue, face lips or throat.

Call a doctor immediately if:

•    White sores or patches in the mouth or on lips

•    Fever, itching joint pains

•    Yellow skin, dark colored urine, weakness or confusion

•    Severe pain and numbness and weakening of muscles

•    Nausea, stomach pains vomiting, headache (Venekamp et al., 2015).

Most important information

•    Ensure that you take the medication for the full length prescribed. Do not stop once the symptoms improve.

•    The medication should not be used if the patient is allergic. Before using, indicate to the doctor if it has been determined that you have asthma, blood clotting disorder or any other allergy.

•    The medication should not be shared with any other person irrespective of whether they have the same symptoms as yours.

•    Antibiotic medications may cause diarrhea which may signify a new infection. Once you observe a watery or bloody diarrhea, the use of Amoxil should be stopped (Lieberthal et al., 2013).

•    The use of Amoxil should be limited to severe unilateral or bilateral incidences of ear infection and the patients should be at least 6 months old. Otherwise, for non-severe, cases, close monitoring is enough and unless the child worsens, antibiotics have to be withheld. For non-severe bilateral acute otitis media, Amoxil use is recommended.

•    The medication should be kept out of reach of children. They should be used only for the purposes they were described for (Venekamp et al., 2015).

How to take Amoxil

•    Take as prescribed by the doctor. It may be taken with or without food.

•    Shake the suspensions before measuring the dosage using a medicine cup or a measuring spoon. The liquid may be placed directly on the tongue or may be mixed with water, fruit juice, baby formula and drink the mixture in its entirety straightaway.

•    If you miss a dose, take the dose as soon as you remember. Do not take up extra medicine to cover the missed dose.

•    In the case of an overdose, look for emergency medical attention ((Lieberthal et al., 2013).

Conclusion

The use of Amoxil is effective to treat ear infection for children. However, the patients, or parents of patients should know some of the side effects of the use of the antibiotic like headaches, inflammation, vomiting and sometimes diarrhea which should lead them to seek the services of a doctor. The parents should adhere to the correct dosage and use it for the purposes it was prescribed for only. Proper storage ensures that the drug remains palatable during the prescription period.

Part 2: Evidence –Based Practice

In the United States, ear infection makes as one of the most common illness among children where the prescription of antibiotics is routinely made use of. Estimates indicate that each episode of the illness costs up to $400 with the yearly costs for the entire nation getting well beyond the $3billion dollar mark (Rettig & Tunkel, 2014).

Research has established that the use of Amoxil antibiotics is more effective in the treatment of ear infection among pediatric patients than using no antibiotic at all. A recent study was done that sought to inform the efforts to rewrite the treatment procedures for the general illnesses (Rettig & Tunkel, 2014). The researchers, however, did not find any evidence to associate the brand-name antibiotics with better benefits than the generic ones. Before the application of antibiotic medication for treatment is begun, the clinician needs to inspect the ear for symptoms of infection.

While there are benefits that argue that the use of antibiotic medicines to treat ear infection among children has substantial benefits, there are some studies that have indicated that the negative side effects outweigh the potential benefits. The Southern California Evidence-Based Practice carried out a research to review previous studies about the identification and treatment of acute otitis media for kids (Rettig & Tunkel, 2014). The research was commissioned by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to form part of its evidence in updating practice guiding principles in the treatment of AOM for children (Rettig & Tunkel, 2014). The study established that lack of a definitive test for making a diagnosis is a major limitation in improving the treatment of acute ear infection.

The AAP and the American Academy of Family Practice (AAFP), updated the guidelines for managing ear infections in February 2013 (Lieberthal et al., 2013). In their recommendations, they provided that Acute Otitis Media (AOM) management should include evaluating pain and treatment. The use of antibiotics is prescribed for either bilateral or unilateral AOM in patients who have attained an age of 6 months with severe symptoms and for non-severe bilateral AOM; the patients should be between 6-23 months.  With a mutual decision making with the guardians and practitioners, the incident of one-sided non-severe AOM among kids aged between 6 and 23 months, it may be supervised with the use of Amoxil antibiotics or with close monitoring and withholding the use of the antibiotic unless the symptoms worsen or fail to improve within 48 hours. The two organizations further recommend the use of Amoxil as the antibiotic of choice except when the patient used it within the last one month or is allergic to penicillin (Lieberthal et al., 2013).

While the information provided should be considered to be up-to-date, and complete, there is no guarantee that is made to the same effect. Since most of the information contained in the patient tool above has been collected and compiled by the use of studies and research done in the United States, there is no warrant that its use outside the country will be appropriate. However, since most symptoms and characteristics of the illness are almost similar across different races and cultures, with permission from different drug regulators in various countries, the drug may be used (Lieberthal et al., 2013). The patient education tool developed above was specifically designed to suit the use of Amoxil for the treatment of ear infection among pediatric patients. However, some of the side effects run across all ages and therefore, the information regarding the side effects can be applied across all age groups. For more of the side effects, the general practitioner should be able to describe the side effects that correspond to a particular individual and their illness. There is no evidence to suggest that the tool cannot be used for both genders.

Conclusion

The information in the patient education tool above ensures that the patient receives the correct information regarding the usage, side effects, storage, and the importance of adherence to dosage. Such information is vital in ensuring that the outcomes of the treatment are positive. Besides, the information ensures that the use of the drug is safe to the patients and informs when they should seek the emergency services of a doctor in case of the worsening of the side effects. Amoxil is still the preferred antibiotics to be used in treating ear infections among the young children.

References

Lieberthal, A. S., Carroll, A. E., Chonmaitree, T., Ganiats, T. G., Hoberman, A., Jackson, M. A., … & Schwartz, R. H. (2013). The diagnosis and management of acute otitis media. Pediatrics, 131(3), e964-e999.

Rettig, E., & Tunkel, D. E. (2014). Contemporary concepts in management of acute otitis media in children. Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America, 47(5), 651-672.

Venekamp, R. P., Sanders, S. L., Glasziou, P. P., Del Mar, C. B., & Rovers, M. M. (2015). Antibiotics for acute otitis media in children. The Cochrane Library.