|
Rod Hughes, MD, FRCP, is consultant rheumatologist
Maggie
Carr, MSc, DipNurs, is consultant nurse in Rheumatology
Maggie
Walsh is rheumatology research associate,
all at Ashford
and St Peter’s Hospital Trust, Chertsey, Surrey Alison Carr,
PhD, is special lecturer in musculoskeletal epidemiology, Nottingham
University.
Correspondence to:
Dr R. A. Hughes, Department of
Rheumatology, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital Trust, Guildford
Road, Chertsey, Surrey KT19 0PZ
e-mail Rod.Hughes@asph.nhs.uk |
Abstract
Aim
To identify a packaging design that is acceptable (easy to open and retrieve medicine) to patients with inflammatory arthritis and establish patient preference for packaging designs.
Design
Cross-sectional observational study in which patients evaluated seven different
packaging designs, including a blister pack and a standard child-resistant
container.
Subjects and setting
103 patients with inflammatory arthritis attended a single session in the
outpatient department at St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey, Surrey.
Outcome measures
Primary outcome was the packaging acceptability score, a composite score
from a patient-completed questionnaire based on ease of use, ease of retrieval
and preference.
Results
The child-resistant packaging and the blister pack performed significantly
worse than any of the other designs, receiving the worst ratings from patients
(80% of patients rated the child-resistant bottle as the worst packaging).
48%
of patients said they would decant medicines from a child-resistant bottle
into another container that was easier to use. There was a clear
preference for one design of packaging that was the highest rated design
by 41% of patients.
Preferences for design were independent of hand pain,
function, grip strength or hand deformity.
Conclusion
Child-resistant packaging and, to a lesser extent, blister packs can
be difficult for people with inflammatory arthritis to open. This presents
a potential hazard because 48% of patients would decant medicines from
the child-resistant bottles into other containers that may not have
appropriate labelling.
Alternative designs of packaging are available
that conform
to British Standards for medicines packaging, are easy to open for
people with impaired hand function and may help to reduce medication
errors
and
give patients more control over their medication. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal