Article Figures & Data
Figures
- Figure 1
Patient information handout.
Tables
- Table 1
Impact of 2 Intervention Techniques on the Ease of Swallowing in Participants With and Without Swallowing Difficulties
Tablets (Pop-bottle Method) Dosage-Size Groups (N) Capsules (Lean-forward Technique) Dosage-Size Groups (N) Large
(143)aVery Large
(140)bLarge
(22)cVery Large
(13)dImpact of the interventions on participants with swallowing difficulties % (N) Better 67.5 (5 4) 67.1 (51) 81. 8 (9) 100 (7) Worse 13.8 (11) 11. 8 (9) 0 (0) 0 (0) Unchanged 18.8 (15) 21.1 (16) 18.2 (2) 0 (0) Impact of the interventions on participants without swallowing difficulties % (N) Better 71.4 (45) 64.1 (41) 90.9 (10) 100 (6) Worse 7.9 (5) 15.6 (10) 0 (0) 0 (0) Unchanged 20.6 (13) 20.3 (13) 9.1 (1) 0 (0) -
This analysis includes the subjective (Likert scale) ranking of all participants whether they were ultimately able to swallow the “intervention placebo” or not.
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↵a The pop-bottle method significantly improved the ease of swallowing rated on the Likert scale (change of median from 4 to 2, P <.001).
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↵b The pop-bottle method significantly improved the ease of swallowing rated on the Likert scale (change of median: 5 to 4, P <.001).
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↵c The lean-forward technique significantly improved the ease of swallowing rated on the Likert scale (change of median: 3 to 0, P <.001).
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↵d The lean-forward technique significantly improved the ease of swallowing rated on the Likert scale (change of median: 4 to 1, P <.001).
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Supplemental Figure
Patient Handout
Files in this Data Supplement:
- Supplemental data: Figure - PDF file, 1 page + cover
In Brief
Two Techniques to Make Swallowing Pills Easier
Walter E. Haefeli , and colleagues
Background More than one-half of people experience swallowing difficulties when taking tablets or capsules. This study evaluates two techniques for swallowing tablets and capsules.
What This Study Found Two techniques notably improve the ease of swallowing tablets and capsules in patients with and without swallowing difficulties. In the first, the pop-bottle method, the tablet is placed in the mouth, the lips are tightly closed around the opening of a flexible plastic beverage bottle and the tablet is swallowed in a swift suction movement. In the second, the lean-forward technique, capsules are swallowed in an upright position with the head bent forward. The pop-bottle method substantially improved swallowing of tablets in 60 percent of participants and the lean-forward technique in 89 percent.
Implications
- Both techniques were highly effective in participants with and without reported difficulties swallowing pills and can be recommended regularly.
