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Medicines Acceptability in Hospitalized Children: An Ongoing Need for Age-Appropriate Formulations

Thibault Vallet1, Omar Elhamdaoui2,3, Amina Berraho2,3

  • 1ClinSearch, 110 Avenue Pierre Brossolette, 92240 Malakoff, France.

Pharmaceutics
|August 23, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric medicine acceptability is crucial for treatment compliance. Studies show tablets are poorly accepted by young children, with few suitable alternatives available, impacting medication adherence.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pharmacology
  • Patient Compliance
  • Drug Formulation

Background:

  • Medicine acceptability is a key, yet fragmented, concept in pediatric compliance.
  • Understanding acceptability is vital for optimizing treatment adherence in children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the acceptability of medicines in pediatric patients at the University Medical Centre Ibn Sina (CHIS) of Rabat, Morocco.
  • To analyze medicine acceptability using a multivariate approach across different age groups.

Main Methods:

  • An observational study involving 570 medicine intakes in patients up to 16 years old.
  • Standardized observer reports were collected and analyzed on a reference framework.

Main Results:

  • Tablets were poorly accepted by children under 6, often requiring crushing/dissolving.
  • Dose adherence was low in younger children (52% and 16% for 3-5 and <3 years).
  • Oral liquids were better accepted than tablets in preschoolers but not in infants.

Conclusions:

  • There is a significant lack of suitable medicine alternatives for young children in the local context.
  • Formulations for antiepileptics, antithrombotics, and psycholeptics pose particular challenges for pediatric acceptability.
  • Improving pediatric medicine formulation is essential for enhancing treatment compliance.

Keywords:
acceptabilitychildrenclinsearch acceptability score test (CAST)formulationhospitalmedicinepediatricswallowabilitytablet

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