Drug-handling problems and expectations of the ideal pediatric drug—reported by children and their parents

Abstract

Experienced drug-handling problems and inadequately considered expectations for drug therapy have an unfavorable influence on therapy. We performed a questionnaire survey in (i) parents of 0–5-year-old children and (ii) 6–17-year olds and their parents. We assessed (A) experienced drug-handling problems and (B) expectations for drug therapy. (i) Forty-six parents and (ii) 103 children and their parents participated in the study. Experienced drug-handling problems were described by (i) 100% of parents and (ii) 62% of children and 70% of parents. Problems concerned with the preparation of the drug, dosing, compliance with the time interval, and acceptance. (i) Sixty-five percent of parents preferred a peroral route of drug administration, while (ii) 74% of children and 86% of parents did so. Preferred characteristics of peroral drug formulations, e.g., liquid versus solid drug formulations or flavor, were highly heterogeneous. Preferences of 6–17-year-old children and their parents matched in 43 to 66%. Conclusion: Most children and their parents had already experienced drug-handling problems. Preferences concerning the ideal pediatric drug were highly heterogeneous and in about half of cases, preferences of children and their parents differed. Thus, the children should be approached directly. If information is solely gained from parents, the children’s needs might remain unmet. What is Known:• Pediatric drug administration is complex and therefore error-prone.•Experiences and expectations of children and their parents should be considered. What is New:•Most pediatric patients and their parents have already experienced drug-handling problems.• Expectations concerning the ideal pediatric drug are highly heterogeneous. Parents are often insufficiently aware of those expectations in their children.

Parents’ Perceptions Regarding Their Children’s Medications and Expert-Assessed Drug-Related Problems in Pediatric Patients with Inborn Errors of Metabolism

“…Similar complications were also found in another study in which pediatric patients and their parents with various chronic illnesses (e.g., epilepsy, type 1 diabetes mellitus, acute and chronic respiratory diseases) were asked about difficulties with medication intake [30]. For patients aged younger than 6 years, the most common problem was the acceptance of medication intake, e.g., due to bad taste; for patients aged 6 years or older, the most common problem was adherence to the time interval, e.g., forgetting to take the medication [30]. Thus, the reported complications occur not only in IEM patients but in pediatric patients in general.…”

“…The identified problems were mainly owing to the patient being a child, regardless of the underlying disease. This is also shown in another study [30]. Strikingly, about half of the medications that could not be included in the medication analysis due to a lack of information from the manufacturer were used for the treatment of IEM.…”

Health literacy in pediatric dermatology: challenges and opportunities

“…Health literacy not only plays a part in assessing, understanding, appraising, and applying of basic health information in pediatrics but also in medication adherence and dosing. Pediatric medication administration errors at home are common and reported by both children and their parents/guardians [29 ▪ ]. Mistaken dosing (over- and underdosing) and missed dosing occur frequently [30 ▪ ].…”

Meeting Challenges of Pediatric Drug Delivery: The Potential of Orally Fast Disintegrating Tablets for Infants and Children

“…Medication related factors, particularly administration and drug formulation play a key role. The oral route is the preferred method of drug delivery [73]. As such, appropriate taste-masking is essential to overcome these challenges in pediatric studies.…”