Antimicrobial dosing in children

Before you prescribe or administer antimicrobials make sure you read the infection management guideline for your patient’s condition. You also need to:

• check if the antimicrobial is appropriate for the indication
• check the formulary and restriction of the antimicrobial
• contact the prescriber to get approval if the antimicrobial is restricted or reserved for use
• document the prescription in ieMR or Metavision
• set a review date for your patient’s treatment.

Children's Health Queensland staff

If further discussion about the appropriateness of antimicrobial treatment is needed follow the antimicrobial stewardship escalation process on the intranet.

You can also access the following guidelines for paediatric dosing and administration information.

• Australian Medical Handbook (AMH) children’s dosing companion
• The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne online paediatric injectable guidelines

Dosing recommendations

Recommendations link to the dosage information in our guidelines. They are based on your patient’s age, risk factors and type of infection. Recommendations are only for paediatric patients with normal liver and kidney (renal) function. If your patient has an illness affecting their liver or kidneys, speak to an infectious disease specialist or pharmacist before prescribing antimicrobials.