Adolescents' struggles with swallowing tablets: barriers, strategies and learning.
OBJECTIVE
To explore adolescents' struggles with taking oral medications.


METHODS
Copenhagen, Denmark.


METHODS
Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 89 adolescents (33 boys, 56 girls) between the ages of 11 and 20. Adolescents were recruited through four public schools. To identify struggles with taking oral medication, interview transcripts were systematically searched for statements including the terms swallow, chew, crush and eat. Thematic analysis of the identified statements was carried out to reveal dominant themes in the adolescents' accounts.


RESULTS
Over one-third of the adolescents spontaneously provided accounts of the difficulties they experienced with taking oral medications, especially with swallowing tablets. Three themes were dominant in their narratives: barriers, strategies and learning. Barriers experienced by the adolescents involved the medications' properties, e.g. taste. Adolescents developed strategies to overcome these barriers, e.g. crushing tablets. Via a process of learning-by-doing and the acquisition of increased experience and autonomy, many adolescents mastered the skill of swallowing tablets.


CONCLUSIONS
Many adolescents experienced barriers in their attempts to swallow tablets. They developed various strategies to overcome these barriers and gradually mastered taking medicines in a learning-by-doing process.
Hansen
Dana Lee
DL
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, FKL-Research Centre for Quality in Medicine Use, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, Copenhagen DK-2100, Denmark. dlh@farma.ku.dk
Tulinius
Ditte
D
Hansen
Ebba Holme
EH
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D003679:Deglutition; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013607:Tablets / Q000008:administration & dosage*
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D013607:Tablets