Korean Elderly’s Demand for Supplying Elderly-friendly Dosage Forms Easy to Swallow

Abstract

As the population ages, it has become increasingly important to provide elderly-friendly dosage forms (EFDF) that are easy to take and promote medication adherence to achieve treatment goals. This cross-sectional questionnaire study, conducted during October to November 2021, aimed to investigate the demand for EFDF among elderly individuals aged 65 years or older. Of the 421 respondents, 81.9% were prescription drug users, 34.9% experienced difficulty swallowing pills, and 26.8% had previous experience of not taking medication due to swallowing problems. 64.1% of respondents agreed to necessity of EFDF easy to swallow than oral solid form, their preferred dosage forms were powder (19.7%) and liquid (57.7%). Furthermore, 51.8% showed willingness to pay additional cost for EFDF. The demand for EFDF was significantly higher in women, facility residents such as nursing homes, elderly living alone, and elderly had difficulties in swallowing and experiences of not taking pills. Considering the elderly themselves personal preferences and improvement of medication adherence, we suggest that pharmaceutical industry and government begin further discussion on EFDF more positively.