Table 5.

The roles of different healthcare professionals in prescribing and administering oral medicines at hospital wards.

Profession	Role
Physician	Prescribes the active pharmaceutical ingredient, dose and route of administration. Does not intervene in the choice of dosage form.
	Physician and nurse decide the route of administration together
Nurse	Informs physician which oral dosage form an individual child can take
	Decides which oral dosage form to administer to the child
	Consults physician if problems occur
	Knows what gimmicks to use in drug administration
	Gives feedback to physician about medication administration
Clinical pharmacist	Discusses choice of dosage form with nurse
	Gives advice in drug manipulation and administration matters