Objective: The local pharmaceutical association (LPA) of Goyang City, Korea conducted an education & training for safe-use of medication (ETSUM) program for infants at the National Children's Center (NCC), for the teachers working at the Childcare Comprehensive Support Center (CCSC), and for parents at the Moms & Kid’s Cafe in 2017. As I participated in this ETSUM program, I wanted to know the current state of education of NCC teachers who are virtually responsible for drug safety for infants and the degree of awareness of the education of teachers on ETSUM for infants. The study sought to find an effective way to provide a safe use environment of drugs for infants at NCC. Method: The survey was conducted on the NCC teachers working at an NCC in Goyang City. The survey was carried out by mailing, which was distributed to 294 people surveyed and collected 271 copies. Results: First, the frequency of medication accidents was 14 out of 271 (5.2%). Most of the accidents involved taking medications from other children or taking excessive amounts, and the cause was negligent management by teachers or parents. Second, most of the teachers replied they had a ETSUM for infants, while 8 teachers said they had no ETSUM program. The answer was that the ETSUM was conducted most frequently, once or twice a month, using audiovisual teaching materials. Some 149 said that ETSUM for infants should be effective only if pharmacists take charge of the program, and 103 said that every teacher should be given it. On the time of conducting ETSUM for infants, 141 of the 268 (52.6%) cases were preferred to provide the education accompanied by the care process. On the other hand, 45 cases (16.8%) were found to be preferred to follow the schedule of the LPA and other professional organizations. The results show that although it is necessary for the ETSUM to be conducted by a pharmacist, it should be conducted in conjunction with the regular child care process. Third, only 210 of 270 (77.5%) respondents answered they received ETSUM. Educations were provided at CCSC (37.4%), NCC (33.2%), safety management institutions (31 cases), and other web-based education (23 cases). The survey shows that teachers believe their own safety consciousness has a significant effect on the safety lives of infants and children. In many cases, they said they would be trained if they had an ETSUM session, and 243 out of 263 (92.4%) said they would be more likely to be educated 1~2 times per year. Conclusion: It is necessary for pharmacists to participate in ETSUM for infants, as to enhance the effectiveness of performance. In addition, the LPA will also be more practical in providing for the NCC teachers with educational materials like video clips. ETSUM should be more systematically conducted for the teacher, and should be provided by pharmacists.

Keywords: Medication safety, Infant, Child care teacher, Pharmacist, Education