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. 2023 Oct 29;59(11):1913.
doi: 10.3390/medicina59111913.

Development of an Administration Guideline of Oral Medicines to Patients with Dysphagia

Kersti Teder  1   2 , Juri Karjagin  3   4 , Kairi Marlen Antoniak  2   5 , Marika Saar  1   2 , Daisy Volmer  1
Affiliations

Development of an Administration Guideline of Oral Medicines to Patients with Dysphagia

Kersti Teder et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

Background and Objectives: There is increasing evidence that patients with dysphagia often have limited access to suitable oral dosage forms, especially when administered via an enteral feeding tube (FT). In addition, there is a lack of clear and readily available information from drug manufacturers on how to administer medications to patients with dysphagia. This study aimed to develop a practical guide for healthcare professionals to increase the safe and effective administration of oral medications to patients with dysphagia. Materials and Methods: The data were collected from existing English databases and handbooks available to develop an easy-to-use tabular guideline presenting all relevant information using keywords and short expressions. The working group differentiated 514 formulation types, and the information was collected and added to the guideline separately. In addition, the instructions for the patients taking the medicines orally or via FT were described separately. Results: The guideline consisted of 24 keywords or short expressions developed by the working group and described the instructions to use them. The guideline contained 343 active pharmaceutical ingredients and 19 fixed-dose combinations. Conclusions: Knowledge about proper medication preparation and administration for patients with swallowing difficulties is limited but essential. It is crucial to encourage drug manufacturers to provide this information as a standard to ensure the safe and effective use of medications for all patient groups.

Keywords: deglutition disorders; delivery of healthcare; medication therapy management; oral administration; pharmaceutical preparations.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic presentation of the guideline development and renewal process (API—active pharmaceutical ingredient; ESHP—Estonian Society of Hospital Pharmacists).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Information details gathered during the first round of data collection (API—active pharmaceutical ingredient; ATC—Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The information added into the second version of the guideline (API—active pharmaceutical ingredient).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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