The Family HQ app was developed by an emergency nurse and general obstetrician to help families track the amount of paracetamol they have given to their sick children to avoid accidental overdose.
Bella had been ill for days.
“She had her hand, foot and mouth, but we thought it was a really mild case,” says Mum Sophie. Kidspot.
Even though the rash healed, Bella was still miserable with a fever, a cough, and a runny nose. A swab at the doctor’s office revealed that she still had her hands, feet and mouth and another common virus.
“We were told to keep her comfortable and to treat the fever symptoms with pain relievers. “
But Sophie didn’t realize they were overdose their little girl. “I was so pissed off by my seedy, sick child who was furious if his meds wore off, I think I just took the first advice selectively – give paracetamol every six to eight hours – that I didn’t have not considered the dose for more than 24 hours. hours.”
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In 2019, the NSW Poisons Information Hotline received more than 2,235 calls regarding suspected overdoses of paracetamol and ibuprofen in children. Photo: iStock
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“I feel bad for overdosing on him. I’m supposed to keep her safe “
Bella’s symptoms worsened and another round of tests revealed the little girl had a urinary tract infection.
“When the blood results came back, they showed a severe UTI with damage to the kidneys and her liver function tests were high,†explains Sophie.
“So they admitted us and she had to go on IV antibiotics for three days.”
Sophie said that most of the time Bella was given five or six doses a day of paracetamol for pain relief and fever control.
The damage showed up in blood tests with Bella’s elevated liver function. Fortunately, by the following week the resilient little girl was back to normal, but the outcome could have been much worse.
“Fortunately, she doesn’t have lasting impacts by giving her too much paracetamol during that seven-day period,†says Sophie.
“I feel bad now that I know I overdosed her. I am his mother for the love of God. I’m supposed to keep her safe.
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Dr Sarah Gleeson and emergency nurse Liz Crowe have developed an app to help parents like Sophie. Photo: Liz Crowe
“We have seen tired and overwhelmed parents having only a vague idea of ​​their child’s last dose”
It was stories like Bella’s that inspired sisters Liz Crowe, registered emergency nurse and Dr Sarah Gleeson, general obstetrician, to create Family HQ, a mobile app that helps families track how much and when they are giving their children.
“Time and time again, we’ve both seen tired, overwhelmed parents of sick children come to the emergency room with a vague idea of ​​when the last dose of paracetamol or ibuprofen was given. Sometimes they overdosed their child, â€says Liz.
She’s seen him in the hospital countless times, but it wasn’t until Liz had her own kids that she realized how easy it was to make a mistake.
“I had just had my second son and was recovering from a Caesarean when my oldest Harry developed a viral illness,†Liz recalls.
“He had a fever, woke up several times during the night, and was utterly miserable with a dirty, snotty nose.”
Liz got up at night and gave her a dose of paracetamol for her fever. Exhausted, she forgot to save it and put the syringe back in the box.
“A few hours later my husband got up to find Harry with a spike in fever again. He gave him another dose.
“It wasn’t until the morning we were chatting about Harry that we realized we had both given him a dose.”
The health professional was mortified. “I felt like I had disappointed him. I was a nurse and I pissed myself off not recording the time or the amount and having an effective method of communication between my husband and myself.
While one-time accidental overdoses like Harry’s may not seem like a big deal, extreme cases can lead to liver failure and even death.
“This is why it is so important to keep track of when you have given these drugs,†says Liz.
“They are safe, if the right dose is given at the right time and the 24 hour limits are strictly observed.
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The app has many features beyond pain medication tracking. Photo: Liz Crowe
Medication tracker, fever tracker and health diary
Family HQ makes it easy to administer medication to children.
There are features like safe dose time, notifications when medications are due, fever tracking, and a health diary.
It makes information shareable among parents, caregivers and healthcare professionals.
It’s not just to keep up with paracetamol and ibuprofen.
“We developed Family HQ for busy parents like us because we know how difficult it can be.
“Whether it’s tracking pain relief during cold and flu season or getting reminders for regular medications to manage a chronic condition, we’ve created the ultimate health app for moms and dads to confidently manage the health of their families. “
Download Family HQ on google play or the App store.
Liz (right) has seen how difficult it is to keep track of medications. Photo: Liz Crowe
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