Training your team and ensuring everyone’s knowledge is up-to-date are important CPD triggers for you. We suggest that you get the team together for a training session based on the activities below and discuss the various ways in which you can offer customers and patients added care in this category.

Subject: Children’s pain & fever

This Train Your Team checklist provides support and information to run a team training session on children's pain and fever. This content can also be used for your own CPD.

Reflection

• Can the pharmacy team identify the causes of pain and fever in children?
• Do my assistants know which analgesics are suitable for children at different ages?
• Am I aware of the schedules for immunisation in infants and children when an analgesic may be helpful?

Training checklist

Ensure support staff understand the following key points:
• Conditions in children that cause pain and fever
• What types of pain in children can be managed in the pharmacy
• Which customers should be referred to the pharmacist
• Which painkillers and cough and cold ingredients are suitable for children at different ages
• The importance of not using ibuprofen and paracetamol together in children
• The symptoms of meningitis and the importance of looking out for these
• Additional means (beyond medication) of soothing children with pain such as colic and teething
• Normal body temperature for children and the temperature at which a child is deemed to have a fever.

I will:

• Ensure that I know the recommendations for analgesic use following childhood vaccinations
• Use this module as an opportunity for an entry in my CPD record
• Train my pharmacy assistants to ensure that they can meet the points in this training checklist.

Practice point

• A mum has a baby with colic and you are aware how tired she looks. What advice would you give to this mother to help take care of herself? See nhs.uk/Conditions/Colic/Pages/Treatment.aspx