Table 4 Frequency (%) of attributes and sample quotations reported during concept elicitation interviews (Waves 1–3)
Concepts (attributes) a,b | Pediatric-reported, % (n) (N = 23 d) | Caregiver-reported, % (n) (N = 13 e) | Sample quotations by pediatric patients | Sample quotations by caregivers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Taste (before swallowing) a | 82.6 (19) | 92.3 (12) | “I mean it tastes a little weird … It’s like sometimes it’s hard to do it all in one go just because of the taste and everything” (age 11, liquid) | “So at first she was kind of complaining that it tasted weird” (age 3, tablet) |
Texture/mouth feel a | 82.6 (19) | 84.6 (11) | “Like you accidentally eat sand” (age 12, pill) | “He complains about the grittiness of it … like if you were anybody who’s ever eaten like grit that gritty feeling that you get, that aftertaste in your mouth” (age 12, pill) |
Swallowability a | 78.3 (18) | 76.9 (10) | “It’s easy to swallow because it’s a liquid” (age 9, liquid) | “At first, um, it was harder for her to … understand how to swallow it and stuff” (age 3, tablet) “So I think that maybe if the texture was thinner and easier to swallow, um, that it probably would be better” (age 2, liquid) |
Size/amount a | 73.9 (17) | 76.9 (10) | Question: “What is the most important thing for you when you decide if you like the medicine or not?” Answer: “How it goes down and how big it is” (age 15, tablet) | “He will sometimes just tell me, you know, that he doesn’t like taking it. Or, um, that it’s just too much.” (age 5, pill) |
Aftertaste (taste after swallowing) a | 47.8 (11) | 46.2 (6) | It didn’t really taste much once you swallowed it, but then a couple seconds later, um, then it just started to taste bitter” (age 10, tablet) | “He wants to gag. So, I try to quickly give him some water … or like some apple juice so that that taste can get out of his mouth as quickly as possible” (age 4, liquid) “… he don’t like the taste of it, it leaves a nasty taste, a nasty taste on his tongue … if he don’t like it. He will throw it up … he’ll remember that taste and he’ll slap it to the floor” (age 4, pill) |
Smell a | 43.5 (10) | 53.8 (7) | Question: “And what did it smell like to you?” Answer: “Nasty … Bananas” (age 6, pill) | “… he will say, ‘I don’t like this smell.’ Or, ‘I’m not going to take this.’ And he won’t take it. So that’s one thing about him, is if it’s something that he don’t like and it’s making him sick, he doesn’t take it” (age 4, pill) |
Dosing frequency b | 8.7 (2) | 7.7 (1) | n/a | n/a |
Efficacy (helping patient to feel better) c | 30.4 (7) | 30.8 (4) | n/a | n/a |
Side effects c | 17.4 (4) | 7.7 (1) | n/a | n/a |
Preparation c | 8.7 (2) | 76.9 (10) | n/a | n/a |
Appearance/color c | 17.4 (4) | 30.8 (4) | n/a | n/a |
Overall ease of administration c | 4.3 (1) | Not reported | n/a | n/a |
Packaging c | Not reported | 7.7 (1) | n/a | n/a |
Portability c | Not reported | 7.7 (1) | n/a | n/a |