Abstract
Aim:The aim of the study was to investigate the swallow ability and the patient preferences of tablets and capsules with different sizes, shapes, surfaces and colours.
Method: Patients were asked to swallow tablets with different surface and size, while tablets with different shape and colour were visually assessed. They were asked to indicate their preferences.
Results: Gelatine capsules were found easier to swallow than tablets and coated tablets were found easier than uncoated normal tablets. The preferred colour was white both for tables and capsules, and the most disliked colours were purple tablets and brown capsules. The preferred shape was strongly arched circular for small tablets, oval for medium sized and big tablets. The difficulty to swallow tablets increased with increasing size.
Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the ideal tablet is small and white, strongly arched circular and coated. If the amount of drug requires a bigger tablet, the preferred fomat is oblong or oval with a coating. In general capsules were preferred over tablets.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersen Ø, Zweidorff O, Hjelde T, Rødland EA. Problemer med å svelge tabletter [Problems in Swallowing Tablets]. Tidsskr Nor Lægeforen nr. 8, 1995;115:947-9
Wamberg T. Skal det være svært at sluge tabletter? [Does It Have to Be Difficult Swallowing Tablets?]. Farmaceutisk Tidende 1988;42:686-90
Hey H, Sørensen K, Jørgensen F B, Hasselbalch H, Wamberg T. Kapslers og tabletters passagetid gennem esophagus [The Transit Time for Capsules and Tablets through the Oesophagus]. Ugeskr Læger 1983;145:2432-5
Bailey R T, Bonavina L, McChesney L, Spires JK, Muilenburg MI, McGill JE, et. al. Factors Influencing the Transit of a Gelatin Capsule in the Esophagus. Drug Intell Clin Pharm 1987;21:282-5
Bailey R T, Eypasch E P, DeMeester T R, Nuakama PE, Brewer AR, Spires KJ et. al. Age Influences Capsule Entrapment in the Esophagus (abstract). Pharmacotherapy 1988;8:127
Channer K S, Virjee J P. The Effect of Size and Shape of Tablets on Their Esophageal Transit. J Clin Pharmacol 1986;26:141-6
Marvola M, Rajaniemi M, Marttila V, Sothmann A et.al. Effect of Dosage Form and Formulation Factors on the Adherence of Drugs to the Esophagus. J Pharm Sci nr. 9 1983;72:1034-6
Kannikoski A, Mannermaa S, Marvola M. The Effect of some Tablet Film Coatings on the Adherence of Drug Products to the Isolated Porcine Oesophagus. Acta Pharm Fenn 1984;93:75-83
Sallis R E, Buckalew L W. Relation of Capsule Color and Perceived Potency. Percept Mot Skills 1984;58:897-8
Lüscher M. The psychological influence of capsule colours on the therapeutic effect of a drug. News sheet, Capsugel Library 1992, B-2880 Bornem, Belgium
Jacobs K W, Nordan F M. Classification of Placebo Drugs: Effect of Color. Percept Mot Skills 1979;49:367-72
Buckalew L W, Coffield K E. An Investigation of Drug Expectancy as a Function of Capsule Color and Size and Preparation Form. J Clin Psycopharmacol 1982 nr. 4;2:245-8
Conover W J. Practical nonparametric statistics. Wiley international edition. USA, 1971
Wilkinson T, de Picciotto J. Swallowing Problems in the Normal Agening Population. S Afr J Communication Disord 1999;46:55-64
Steffensen G K, Pachaï A, Pedersen S E. Peroral medicinsk behandling af børn – er der problemer? [Peroral Medical Treatment of Children – are there Problems? Ugeskr Læger 1998;160:2249-52
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Overgaard, A., Møller‐Sonnergaard, J., Christrup, L. et al. Patients' evaluation of shape, size and colour of solid dosage forms. Pharm World Sci 23, 185–188 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012050931018
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012050931018