Children’s perspectives on the acceptability of medicine, how to assess acceptability and the development of the Theoretical Framework of Children’s Medicine Acceptability: A qualitative study

Blake, Lucy; Carter, Bernie; Gibson, Beth; Peak, Matthew; Blake, Lucy; Bracken, Louise

Abstract

Objective: To explore children’s perspectives on the acceptability of medicines and ranking scales.
Methods: Interpretive reflexive child-centred qualitative design using arts-based worksheets, an activity booklet, exploration of ranking scales and conversations between the children and with the researcher.
Key findings: Children aged 5-12 years can provide clear insights into factors affecting the acceptability of medicine and child-centred ways of assessing acceptability. These insights led to novel outcomes: a child-centred definition of the acceptability of medicine, children’s preferences in relation to ranking scales, and the Theoretical Framework of Children’s Medicine Acceptability (TF-CMA), a novel theoretically based framework that includes core aspects of medicine acceptability that have previously been over-looked.
Conclusions: Involving children in acceptability research is key to understanding their perspectives on broad range of factors; cognitive and affective attitudes are key components to consider in relation to acceptability. Future studies should consider using the TF-CMA as framework for acceptability assessment in children’s medicines. Children should be involved in designing child-friendly, engaging assessment measures.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 13, 2025
• Deposit Date: May 29, 2025
• Journal: RPS Pharmacy and Pharmacology Reports
• Electronic ISSN: 2754-5849
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/14473928