2004 Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 173-181
Objective： Administering drugs to children can be difficult even in the absence of dysphagia．In children with severe multiple disorders including dysphagia，the issue becomes very serious，and agents that can assist drug administration are needed．However，few studies have investigated the state of drug administration to children with severe multiple disorders including dysphagia，or appropriate dosage forms for such children．Thus，to identify factors necessary to assist drug administration，a survey was conducted on administration of drugs to children with severe multiple disorders including dysphagia，including the use of jelly for facilitating drug administration．
Subjects and Methods： Subjects were 34 children with severe multiple disorders including dysphagia who were receiving oral medications and guidance for oral ingestion at an outpatient nursing facility，university hospital or national hospital．A survey was conducted on caretakers of these children to ascertain current state of drug administration (dosage form，drug type，and administration)，difficulties in drug administration，and the utility of two types of jelly (A and B) for assisting drug administration．
Results： Granulated or powdered drugs were dispensed to more than 90％ of subjects．Syrups and tablets were also common，and capsules were also dispensed to some children．Most children were taking 2-3 different drugs，with some taking up to nine．Almost 80％ of granulated or powdered drugs were administered by mixing with food or liquid other than water．In many subjects，dosage form did not match regular eating habits，and severity of dysphagia did not match administration methods．More than 90％ of caretakers reported difficulty in administrating drugs，and many were frustrated with their inability to consistently administer specified amounts of medication． More than 60％ of caretakers found drug administration easier with jelly，particularly with Jelly B，and stated that they would like to use jelly．
Discussion：These findings suggest that appropriate dosage forms and administration methods based on severity of dysphagia are necessary when assisting administration of drugs to children with dysphagia．
