ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the palatability of antimicrobial agents effective against beta-lactamase-producing bacteria in American children. DESIGN: In a taste test of 4 antimicrobial agents, azithromycin (cherry flavored), cefprozil (bubble gum flavored), cefixime (strawberry flavored), and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (banana flavored) were compared. SETTING: An urban inner-city primary care clinic. SUBJECTS: A volunteer sample of 30 healthy children (aged 5-8 years). INTERVENTION: Palatability was determined using a single-blind taste test of 4 flavored antimicrobial agents. The 4 antimicrobial agents used were azithromycin, cefprozil, cefixime, and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: After each antimicrobial test dose, subjects rated the taste on a 10-cm visual analog scale incorporating a facial hedonic scale. Preference assessments for the best-tasting and worst-tasting agent were also conducted. RESULTS: Of the 20 children who expressed a preference, significantly more children (9 [45%], P<.05) selected the cefixime preparation as the best-tasting formulation compared with the other preparations. The cefixime preparation was also significantly the least likely to be selected as the worst-tasting preparation (2 [10%], P<.05). There were no significant differences between the other 3 preparations with respect to being selected as either the best or worst tasting. The mean (+/- SD) visual analog scale score for cefixime was highest (8.53 [2.49]) compared with the scores for azithromycin (6.78 [3.45]), cefprozil (6.26 [4.04]), and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (6.24 [4.01]). CONCLUSION: The cefixime preparation was most commonly rated as best tasting by children.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration & dosage , Bacterial Infections/drug therapy , Flavoring Agents , Patient Acceptance of Health Care , Taste , Urban Population , Administration, Oral , Amoxicillin-Potassium Clavulanate Combination/administration & dosage , Azithromycin/administration & dosage , Cefixime/administration & dosage , Cephalosporins/administration & dosage , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Pain Measurement , CefprozilABSTRACT
Noncompliance with therapy is widespread in children, with potentially important implications in clinical practice and the research setting. Compliance with therapy is a critical element in the success of therapy, that is, for an efficacious medication to be effective, it must be taken. Demonstration of patterns of drug adherence and the association between compliance and outcome in clinical practice have been facilitated by the recent introduction of electronic monitoring of medication compliance. Determinants of drug compliance, optimal measurement of compliance, and strategies to improve compliance remain to be further explored in children. Given the prevalence of and the potential consequence of noncompliance, pediatricians must have a high index of suspicion of noncompliance to provide the best possible care to their patients.
