Improving Medication Management by Understanding Patient and Caregiver Preferences for Medication Packaging

OBJECTIVE: To assess older adults' perceptions and preferences when comparing multi-medication packaging products.
DESIGN: Qualitative study involving focus group interviews (FGIs) and key informant interviews (KIIs).
SETTING: Interviews were conducted in multiple cities within the United States during June-July 2019.
PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: FGI participants (N=36) included community dwelling adults, 65 years of age or older, who took 5+ chronic medications, or their caregivers. KII participants (N=15) included health care professionals caring for similar populations.
INTERVENTIONS: Participants were given samples of blister packs and pouches and asked about medication management and appearance and usability of medication packaging. Interviews were audio-recorded with participants' consent, then transcribed and coded using Atlas. ti. Recurrent and emergent themes were identified, and selected quotes served as examples of identified themes.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Participants' perceptions regarding medication packaging.
RESULTS: Participants' preferences varied for different multi-medication packaging systems. Similarly, most FGI participants did not communicate a strong attitude for or against their existing management systems. However, many FGI participants perceived a need for larger font size than seen on the either of the multimedication packaging samples. KII participants also preferred a larger font size on both packagings. KII participants thought the blister packs offered better visual organization and enabled caregivers to quickly assess adherence. However, KII participants expressed concern about integrating as-needed and short-term use medications and noted difficulty opening both types of packages.
CONCLUSION: Visual appearance is important to both patients and health care providers. Continued research in this area is vital for tailoring packaging types and technology to patients.