| Title |
Tablet/Capsule Size Variation Among the Most Commonly Prescribed Medications for Children in the USA: Retrospective Review and Firsthand Pharmacy Audit
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Pediatric Drugs, January 2016
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s40272-015-0156-y |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Laura Jacobsen, Kathy Riley, Brian Lee, Kathleen Bradford, Ravi Jhaveri |
| Abstract |
Children are frequently asked to take tablets and capsules of different sizes and shapes to manage acute and chronic medical conditions. Medication size is an important factor that contributes to compliance, yet few studies detail size variation or pediatric pharmacy inventory. This study assesses the available sizes and size variations of common inpatient and outpatient pediatric medications and provides an inventory of the tablet and capsule sizes available in a children's inpatient hospital pharmacy. We derived the most frequently prescribed oral medications from US national databases, including the IMS, Vector One(®): National (VONA) and Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS). We analyzed a composite list using the National Library of Medicine Pillbox website, which provides size measurements. Medications from a children's inpatient pharmacy were audited and hand measured for comparison. We created a list of the top 15 most prescribed inpatient and outpatient pediatric tablet/capsule medications and observed a wide variation in size: acetaminophen 500 mg ranged from 5 to 22 mm in length, median 15 mm. Common pediatric antibiotics were larger and ranged from 8 to 25 mm in length, median 17 mm. Hand-measured samples from the inpatient pharmacy were often the larger pill sizes, despite smaller alternatives being available. We observed a marked variation in the sizes of common pediatric tablet/capsule medications, and pharmacies that serve children may not stock the most child-friendly medications. Tablet/capsule size does not appear to be considered when decisions about tablet and capsule medication selections are made. These results should increase awareness of these sizes and affect how physicians prescribe, how pharmacies order inventory, and how insurers and pharmaceutical companies pay for and produce pediatric medications. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 3 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 1 | 33% |
| Unknown | 2 | 67% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 2 | 67% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 33% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 35 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 1 | 3% |
| Unknown | 34 | 97% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher | 6 | 17% |
| Lecturer | 4 | 11% |
| Student > Master | 4 | 11% |
| Student > Bachelor | 3 | 9% |
| Other | 2 | 6% |
| Other | 4 | 11% |
| Unknown | 12 | 34% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 9 | 26% |
| Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 5 | 14% |
| Economics, Econometrics and Finance | 3 | 9% |
| Business, Management and Accounting | 1 | 3% |
| Computer Science | 1 | 3% |
| Other | 3 | 9% |
| Unknown | 13 | 37% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 3. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 05 April 2016.
All research outputs
#13,220,363
of 22,842,950 outputs
Outputs from Pediatric Drugs
#333
of 552 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#185,323
of 395,190 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Pediatric Drugs
#6
of 10 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 22,842,950 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 41st percentile – i.e., 41% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 552 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 5.5. This one is in the 38th percentile – i.e., 38% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
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