Medicines and children: Parent survey

Abstract

Introduction. - Choosing the right galenic form adapted to children is a challenge. It influences the acceptability of the drug and enhances the treatment adherence. In the same context, developing specific galenic forms has become a necessity. This survey was carried out to identify the problems encountered by parents when administering medicines and to consider ways to improve them.Materials and methods. - This study was conducted using questionnaires distributed to parents with children under 12 years old, via "Google Forms" software.Results. - Self-medication was a common practice in our sample (71.2%). Syrups were the most commonly used and were considered the most suitable for pediatric use. A significant portion of parents (78%) reported that their children had confronted them with a refusal of treatment. This refusal was mainly associated with the organoleptic characteristics of the medicines as well as difficulties related to administration. Besides, errors in the administration of medication, including dosing errors or forgetfulness, were mentioned by one-third of respondents. To overcome acceptability problems, 68.1% of the parents used tricks to administer the medication to their children like co-administering it with food or drinks. Suggestions for improving the acceptability of drugs were mainly related to the palatability improvement, the reduction in the number of taken doses as well as the volume of liquid oral forms, and the size of tablets or capsules.Discussion. - This survey showed that pediatric medicines did not necessarily meet the needs of parents. Improvements could be made to raise acceptability and therefore ensure better therapeutic adherence, which is a key to the treatment efficacy.Conclusion. - This study could help pharmaceutical companies prioritize pediatric formulation work.