Customers' preferences of color, size, shape and taste of oral solid dosage form / Norsyaheera Young Rockie

The purposes of this study were to determine the most preferred oral solid dosage form, to determine customers' perceptions towards therapeutic benefit of medicine in a relation of color, size, shape and taste of oral solid dosage form and to determine factors associated with public preferences of oral solid dosage form. Self- administered questionnaires were distributed among 130 individuals at four retail pharmacies around Kuala Terengganu. Data were presented by frequencies and analyzed the relationship with demographic background using Kruskal-Wallis test. From this study, 52.3% respondents preferred tablet. Capsule was reported as second preferred oral solid dosage form with 26.2% respondents, followed by soft gel with 18 respondents (13.8%) and only 10 respondents (7.7%) preferred caplet. 48 respondents (36.9%) reported that tablet is very easy to swallow form, 37 respondents (28.5%) chose soft gel as the second easiest form to swallow while capsule and caplet chose by 36 respondents (27.7%) and 6 respondents (4.6%). Significant difference in respondents' perception was found among gender, age, monthly income, marital status and occupation. In conclusion, tablet is the most preferred oral solid dosage form and also very easy to swallow form. Majority of respondents preferred oral solid dosage form to be white in color, round in shape, small in size and without taste. Most important physical characteristics of oral solid dosage form were size, followed by taste, color and shape.