Aim: This study was conducted to determine the medical behavior of mothers with children of age 0-12, rational medicine usage and the causes affecting medicine usage.

Method: The study was conducted at University of Cukurova Medical Faculty Balcalı Hospital, Adana, Turkeypediatry policlinics between December 2012 and March 2013 by face to face interviews.

Result: 30.4% of mothers stated they used medicine prior to admissiont to the hospital. In case of sickness 40.3% of mothers prefer visiting state hospitals first. 32% of mothers do not stop administering antibiotics until suggested dose is completed. 65.4% of them always read the prospectus, 77.3% always check the expiry date and 48.8% always get informed about the dosage of medicine in suspension form. Among mothers who stated that they have knowledge about preparing medicine in suspension form, only 46% correctly described the preparation process. 6.4% of mothers keep the medicine according to the specified temperature and 42.9% dispose the medicine they do not use. While administering the medicine 74.3% of mothers are always mindful of the intervals. Thereʼs a direct correlation found between mothersʼ level of education and, knowledge of preparing medicine in suspension form and likelihood of inquiring about the dosage, how they keep the medicine, reading the prospectus and checking the expiry date (p<0.05).

Conclucions: Increase the peopleʼs overall level of knowledge about rational medicine usage through videos and by distributing brochures, keeping the knowledge of medical personel up to date and fresh by regular training sessions and having them inform the masses, rewriting the prospectuses more clearly and in a comprehensible manner, and creating legal procedure for disposing unused and expired medicine properly are crucial steps that should be taken.

Keywords: Mother, rational medicine usage, child, nursing.

Biography:
Şenay (Ok) Çetinkaya, born in 1967, has completed her bachelor of nursing, masterʼs degree, and PhD in Ege University.
In 1988 she was employed as nurse in ICU at the cardiovascular surgery clinic in Ege University, at the medical faculty hospital. In the mean time she has completed her postgraduate (1991) and PhD (1999) on pediatric nursing.
Following her move to Malatya due to a spouse-related transfer (1996), she was employed at the Health Colleges of Inönü (1996-2000), Selçuk (2000-2004), and Ege (2004-2007) Universities. Currently she is working at the Faculty of Health Sciences of Çukurova University, Head of the Department of Pediatric Nursing.
Besides being instructor and vice-principal at the college, she has coordinated and performed in-service training programs to healthcare personnels, carried out symposium vice-presidency, assistant journal editorship and reviewing, and chair in nursing department. She has international articles (8), international boks chapters (6), translation on a vocational book (thesaurus of skills), national chapters of book (2), has led postgraduate thesis (10), research profects (3), and posted many scientific papers (30) in periodicals.