Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medicine Safety Program is a free, evidence-based, comprehensive Common Core-ready educational program on the safe use of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, with a rich online hub.
Learn more about the OTC Medicine Safety Program
Research shows that students begin to self-medicate around age 11. If not equipped with the knowledge and training to make safe choices, mistakes can happen. By age 16, approximately 90% of adolescents report self-administering OTC medications. In 2018, America’s poison centers managed more than 300,000 exposure cases involving children ages 6 to 19; more than half of these cases involved medication errors and misuse.
This tip sheet, created in partnership with Johnson & Johnson, suggests best practices for prevention leaders to implement the OTC Medicine Safety Program to educate our nation’s youth with the knowledge they need to make good choices.