Influence of Medication Taste on Pediatric Prescribers' Prescribing Habits

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this study is to see if a medication taste test influences the prescribing habits of pediatric prescribers at Mayo Clinic.

Official Title
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Influence of Medication Palatability on Prescribing Habits of Pediatric Prescribers

Conditions
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Healthy

Intervention / Treatment
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* Drug: Taste Test


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: subjects possess prescriptive authority (e.g. MD, nurse practitioner, physician's assistant, medication therapy management pharmacists) subjects have prescribed at least one of the study medications from one of the medication classes to pediatric patients at an outpatient clinic in the three months preceding the study Exclusion Criteria: subjects do not prescribe any of the tested medications subject has an allergy to all of the study medications subject is pregnant or breastfeeding subject has a medical condition that prevents them from being involved in the taste test Participants are advised to be within or accessible to the Rochester, MN area during study recruitment and accessible afterwards via mail, email or fax.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Taste Test<br> | Drug: Taste Test<br>* Before the taste test each participant will fill out an informed consent form and an enrollment survey. Each participant will receive 0.5 mL of each study medication in the taste test. During the taste test each medication in a class will be labeled with a color name so as to prevent any bias from preconceived taste perception. They will record their perception of the medications taste on a visual analog scale (VAS). An anaphlyaxis kit will be on hand in case of emergencies. Between samples participants will cleanse their palate with a saltine cracker and 30 mL of water. 5 different classes of medications will be tested. Medications to be sampled and the corresponding dose of the test dose are: Cephalosporins: cefdinir 12.5 mg, cefixime 10 mg Penicillins: penicillin VK 12.5 mg, amoxicillin 12.5 mg Analgesic/antipyretics: acetaminophen 16 mg, ibuprofen 10 mg Steroids: prednisolone 1.5 mg, prednisone 0.5 mg H2 receptor blockers: famotidine 4 mg, ranitidine 7.5 mg<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Taste scores on the visual analog scale | Medication taste scores on the visual analog scale before and after a medication tasting will be measured. | Change from baseline in taste scores at 3 months | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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medication palatability, medication taste