Abstract:
Background: Household spoons, with their diverse sizes, shapes, and volumes, are commonly
used for administering liquid medications, potentially causing dose variations.
Objective: To investigate the accuracy of household spoons in measuring oral liquid medications
Methods: Teaspoons (n=45) and tablespoons (n=15) were gathered from homes in Karapitiya
using convenient sampling method. The volumes of spoons were measured by two methods; the
weighing method and the volumetric method. In the weighing method, volume (v) was calculated
using v=m/ρ, and in the volumetric method, using graduated cylinders. Deviations, ≥10% of the
measured volume from the expected volume were considered to fail the accuracy test (USP
specifications). Independent sample t-test was used for comparison of measured volumes with
expected volume and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: In the weighing method, 93.3% of tablespoons had lower and 6.67% had higher volume
than the anticipated volume and 20.0% of the samples satisfied the USP requirements. In the
volumetric method, 80.0% of tablespoons had lower volumes, 6.67% had higher volumes, and
13.3% were in the same volume. Among them, 26.67% fulfilled the USP standards. Further,
results of the weighing method showed that 93.33% and 6.67% teaspoons, had lower and higher
volumes than the expected volume respectively. Only 8.89% of the sample satisfied the USP
criterion. According to the volumetric method, 91.10% of teaspoons had less volume, 4.40% had
higher volume than the anticipated volume, and 4.40% were equal to 5.00mL. Also, 22.2% of
teaspoons met the USP standards. In both the weighing and volumetric methods, there were
significant differences between volume measured with tablespoons (weighing method: 9.00 ± 3.39
mL; volumetric method: 9.70±3.45 mL, p≤0.001), and teaspoons (weighing method: 4.02 ± 0.97
mL; volumetric method: 4.00±0.83 mL, p≤0.001) and their expected volumes.
Conclusion: Volumes of household spoons are inaccurate and inappropriate to measure oral liquid
medications. Accurate dosing devices should be used for administering medications
