Improving the Palatability of Medication to Help Children Be More Compliant

One common barrier to higher medication compliance in pediatrics is the taste of liquid medicine. The palatability of a medication is an important factor in medication compliance among children. Nine out of ten pediatricians inquire about the patients preferred medication form or flavor, before prescribing . 85% of pediatricians report encouraging parents to use sweeteners or mix medications with other foods. It has also been found that among the barriers that impact compliance in acute and chronic illness, 90.8% and 83.9% of the barriers respectively are due to the unpleasant taste of medications. Our approach was a practical examination of commonly reflavored pediatric liquid medications and most popular flavor choices. Because safety is a top priority, the flavored medications are tested for stability prior to a flavoring recipe being released to pharmacies. In the U.S., prescription flavoring is a popular method used by pharmacists to promote higher medication compliance. The effect of flavoring on medication compliance was examined with children admitted to the Robert Wood Johnson University hospital in New Brunswick, NJ.