Patient-centred,administration friendly medicines for children – An evaluation of children’s preferences and how they impact medication adherence

The development of age appropriate paediatric formulations, particularly those suitable for young children, presents challenges with only limited knowledge available on the acceptability of different medicines and how this affects medication adherence. This publication describes studies conducted at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK with the aim of determining which factors relating to dose form and organoleptic properties of a medicinal product influence medication adherence in chronically ill children. The research was conducted in two phases comprising 70 chronically ill children aged between 3 and 11 years, 70 primary caregivers, and 33 hospital clinical and technical staff. Phase one, the CHIMP study (children's medication preferences), investigated children's preferences in terms of the organoleptic properties of medicines, and factors which influence these preferences and medication adherence. The data generated in the CHIMP study was used to construct a Medication Adherence Prediction Tool (MedAPT), in the form of a questionnaire, which was the subject of a second study (MedAPT), to qualify the prediction tool, in which adherence predictions derived from children and primary caregiver's questionnaire response data were statistically evaluated against adherence measurement generated from pharmacy medication refill data. The developed MedAPT questionnaire correctly predicted medication adherence/non-adherence in 79.4% of children. It is envisaged that, following further confirmation of the MedAPT as a prediction tool, this may be used in clinical practice as a predictor of adherence, and as a means of focussing resources and interventions to address non-adherence.