According to the Mayo Clinic, approximately seventy percent of people use kitchen spoons (teaspoons and tablespoons) to measure out doses of liquid cold medicine.
But a recent study says that you might not be getting the correct dose of medicine if you use a kitchen spoon. Depending on the size of the spoon, you may be getting too little, or too much.
The Cornell University Food and Brand Lab asked nearly 200 volunteers to pour a teaspoon-sized dose of liquid medication (5ml) into spoons of varying sizes. First, they used an actual teaspoon — so they would see exactly how much the correct amount is.
When using a medium-sized spoon (not a teaspoon), the participants poured less than the correct dosage by around eight percent. When using a large-sized spoon (not a teaspoon), the participants poured more than the correct dosage by around twelve percent. Interestingly enough, most of the participants reported above-average confidence in their measuring abilities.
Those little percentages can really add up. If you’re under-dosing yourself by eight percent, four times per day, that’s nearly a third of the daily medication missed. If you’re over-dosing yourself by twelve percent, four times per day, that’s nearly half again as much as you should be having.
Researchers suggested that the probability of error may be even higher when a person is pouring medication at home. If you’re tired or not feeling well, your judgement may be off. If you’re rushing to pour a dose for a loved one who is suffering, you may get the amount wrong. If the lighting is bad, you may have a hard time seeing how much liquid medication you are pouring out.
After seeing the results, the Cornell researchers suggest skipping the kitchen spoons for measuring liquid medications. Instead, your doses may be more accurate if you use a measuring cap (provided with the medication), a marked dosing spoon, or a measuring dropper.