Prescription of tablets is one of most common means for treatments of patients within the healthcare sector. Not seldom, drug manufacturers supply a limited number of tablet strengths, or physicians unnecessary prescribes a to high tablet strengths. This results in the situation where patients end up splitting tablets. Another reason for splitting tablets is that they are voluminous, and thereby hard to swallow. Upon dividing tablets, fragments can become unequal in size, and parts of the tablets can crumble, leaving a tablet dose sometimes not compliant with government issued regulation, stated in different Pharmacopeias. Major parts of split tablets are prescribed to elderly people, who require lower dosages. Some tablets are hard and small and elderly people have difficulties in dividing them, due to e.g. trembling and insufficient muscle strength in hands. The aim of this study was to investigate, pros and cons with splitting tablets, and how it´s practically done by the patient. What advice are given from staff in pharmacies to customers, in order to get it right. During two weeks, in March 2018, structured interviews were conducted on patients who had prescriptions on divided tablets. Among 7677 customers in eight pharmacies in Sweden 188 (2, 4 %) presented a prescription with split tablets. Of them, 171 accepted to participate in a survey to find an answer to the aim of this study. Out of the 171 customers 153 (89 %) divided their tablets. 74 (49 %) broke the tablets with their hands, 47 (31 %) with a knife and 22 (14 % ) use a device for dividing tablets. The rest had recently received a prescription on a divided tablet. Most common split tablets were within the ATC-codes C and N, cardiovascular and psychotropic drugs. They were split by 139 (81 %) of the customers. Within ATC-code N05 benzodiazepines 53 (31 %), C09 antidepressant 23 (13 %), N06 RAS 19 (11 %) and C07 betablocker 16 (9 %) divided tablets. Among the costumers who divided their tablets, 47 (28 %) said that the tablet size was not ideal to divide. About 36 (21 %) reported that they had difficulties dividing tablets; the number was highest among women. About 50 % of the customers had been given instructions by the pharmacist about how to split a tablet. The result of this study shows a need of lower strengths of some tablets, and that prescribers should be more aware and not unnecessary prescribe split tablets, since there are many especially elderly people that have difficulties in dividing them in equal parts.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:lnu-75288 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Creators | Matti, Vana |
| Publisher | Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för kemi och biomedicin (KOB) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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