It's time children learned about medicines

Objective Consensus exists among respected institutions and national and international organizations that the time has come for all the world's children to be taught about medicines. Studies in many countries and cultures have shown that children's knowledge of medicines is poor despite their levels of autonomy in using medicines. Children want to learn more about medicines and their parents want their children to be taught about them. Method A review of the literature on medicines education programs and research. Key findings It has been demonstrated that children can be conduits of information about medicines to their families and communities. Conclusion As children in different cultures are similar in what they know, do and want to know about medicines, a universal curriculum could be readily adapted to local situations. The few innovative school-based programs, especially those in Moldova, which address the global problem of antimicrobial resistance and appear to be cost-effective, could and should be extended to other countries. In addition, information about the freely available internet-based Finnish curriculum should be widely disseminated.