Two techniques to make swallowing pills easier.
To evaluate whether 2 techniques (the pop-bottle method for tablets and the lean-forward technique for capsules) ease swallowing of tablets and capsules, we conducted a cross-sectional study including 151 adults of the general German population. Participants swallowed 16 differently shaped placebos, rated their ease of swallowing on an 8-point Likert scale, and swallowed the 2 dosage forms that they had rated most difficult again using the appropriate technique. The pop-bottle method substantially improved swallowing of tablets in 59.7% (169/283) and the lean-forward technique for capsules in 88.6% (31/35). Both techniques were remarkably effective in participants with and without reported difficulties swallowing pills and should be recommended regularly.
Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacoepidemiology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Julia T
JT
Schiele
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Hendrik
H
Schneider
Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacoepidemiology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Renate
R
Quinzler
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Gabriele
G
Reich
Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacoepidemiology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany walter.emil.haefeli@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
Walter E
WE
Haefeli
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002214:Capsules; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003679:Deglutition; D004326:Drinking; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057240:Patient Preference; D011187:Posture; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013607:Tablets; D055815:Young Adult
D002214:Capsules; D013607:Tablets
capsules; deglutition disorders; lean-forward technique; pop-bottle method; tablets