PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Rashed, Asia N
AU  - Terry, David
AU  - Fox, Andy
AU  - Christiansen, Nanna
AU  - Tomlin, Stephen
TI  - Feasibility of developing children’s Pill School within a UK hospital
AID  - 10.1136/archdischild-2020-319154
DP  - 2021 Jul 01
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood
PG  - 705--708
VI  - 106
IP  - 7
4099  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/106/7/705.short
4100  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/106/7/705.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child2021 Jul 01; 106
AB  - Objective We assessed the feasibility of introducing an intervention (children’s Pill School—PS) within a UK hospital to provide swallowing training for children, identified the proportion of children who can be switched from oral liquid medicines to pills and assessed children/parents’ opinions about the PS training.Methods 30 inpatient children (aged 3–18 years; taking oral liquid medicines; their liquid medications assessed suitable for switching to pills; can (and their parents) speak/understand English were included. Training sessions were delivered using hard sweets of different sizes.Results 87% (26) of children successfully learnt how to swallow pills after one training session (mean duration 14.5 min), and 92% (24) were discharged on pills. 75 prescribed oral liquid medications were deemed suitable for switching to pills. Of these, 89% (67) were switched successfully.Conclusion Children as young as 3 years were successful in swallowing pills after training. Providing children PS training session within hospital is feasible and acceptable to children and their parents.All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information.