Beyond Pharmacology: Do Tablet Shape, Size, and Color Influence Medication Adherence in Psychiatric Outpatients?
Rajat Rawat1, Pravesh Thapliyal1, Raunak Kumar1
1Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shri Guru Ram Rai University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India.
The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders
|July 2, 2026
Summary
Psychiatric patients prefer certain tablet shapes, sizes, and colors, but these preferences do not impact medication adherence. Adherence is more strongly linked to clinical factors than pill appearance.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Medication nonadherence is a significant issue in psychiatric treatment.
- Physical properties of solid oral dosage forms (SODFs), such as shape, size, and color, are understudied factors influencing patient adherence.
- Quantitative data linking patient preferences for SODF attributes to adherence outcomes in psychiatric settings is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the preferences of psychiatric outpatients for tablet shape, size, and color.
- To determine the relationship between these patient preferences and self-reported medication adherence.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional observational study involving 232 psychiatric outpatients over six months.
- Data collected via structured questionnaire on sociodemographics, clinical details, and preferences/dislikes for tablet attributes (shape, size, color).
- Medication adherence assessed using the Medication Adherence Rating Scale; statistical analyses included chi-squared and Fisher exact tests.
Main Results:
- The study cohort (mean age 36 years, 65.1% male) reported 74.1% adherence.
- Common preferences included oval/oblong shapes, small sizes, and white colors; dislikes included large sizes, flat-circular shapes, and red colors.
- No statistically significant associations were found between tablet attribute preferences/dislikes and medication adherence (P >.05).
Conclusions:
- Psychiatric patients exhibit distinct esthetic preferences for tablet formulations.
- These esthetic preferences do not predict medication adherence in this population.
- Adherence is primarily influenced by clinical symptoms, patient insight, and the therapeutic alliance, suggesting a focus on psychosocial interventions over formulation aesthetics.
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