Contact Details
- Position
- Senior Lecturer
- Department
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dunedin)
- Qualifications
- MMedSc DCH MB ChB
- Research summary
- The use of oral paracetamol in the treatment of fever in children
- Clinical
- Gianna currently works as a registrar in Department of Paediatrics, Te Whatu Ora Southern, while completing her PhD
Research
Illnesses presenting with fever are common in children with up to 40% of preschool children present to a health professional for a fever related illness each year. Use of medications are recommended in children with fever to alleviate distress. Paracetamol is the most commonly used medication by doctors and caregivers to treat fever. The exact mechanism by which paracetamol works to treat fever is not fully understood. Previous studies of the effect that paracetamol has on fever have used varied doses of paracetamol, often under the recommended dosage. Further studies are required to improve the understanding of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PKPD) of paracetamol in children treated for fever.
This project aims to describe the population pharmacokinetic profile of oral paracetamol in the treatment of fever in children. It also aims to describe the PKPD relationship of paracetamol in fever and to describe the effects of illness upon the metabolism of paracetamol in children.
Additional details
In 2019 Gianna received The Emily Johnston Scholarships for Research in Science and Art of Clinical Medicine.
Publications
Salis, G., Medlicott, N., & Reith, D. (2019). Modelling of delivery kinetics of gentamicin administered through umbilical long lines. Proceedings of the 20th Annual Population Approach Group in Australia and New Zealand Meeting (PAGANZ). (pp. 18-19). Retrieved from https://www.paganz.org/auckland-2019 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract