Making Medicine Manageable for Young Patients

A groundbreaking project, supported by Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, is helping young patients and their families transition from liquid to tablet medication, with benefits that extend far beyond the hospital walls.

The KidzMed Glasgow initiative, led by Dr Louise Thomson, Paediatric Respiratory Consultant at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children, builds on the success of its launch in Newcastle and is now making waves across the UK.

Many of Dr Thomson’s patients have cystic fibrosis (CF), a condition that requires them to take large amounts of medication, multiple times daily. Historically, liquid medication has been the norm for young children, but it comes with numerous challenges. Liquid medications often require refrigeration, making them difficult to transport and store when not at home. The taste, smell, and texture can be unpleasant for children, while some liquid formulations contain high sugar content, posing risks to dental health. Additionally, plastic packaging makes liquid medications more expensive and less environmentally friendly.

“Liquid medications can become part of the routine without families questioning whether there’s a simpler way. By transitioning to pills, we’re not only improving convenience and reducing waste but also empowering families to reclaim a sense of normalcy.”

Dr Louise Thomson

Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity provides families with carefully designed support packs, to make the transition smooth and successful. Each pack includes a water bottle, flavoured water, pill box, toothbrush, three sizes of sweets for practice, stickers, an information booklet, and a certificate to celebrate progress.  

“It was like a weight was lifted that we didn’t know we had. Life is much easier without so many liquids to contend with daily.”

A Patient’s Mum

The switch to tablets offers several advantages:

• Convenience: Pills eliminate the need for refrigeration and are easier to carry.
• Independence: For school-aged children, tablets simplify routines when they aren’t with their parents or carers.
• Cost-effectiveness: Tablets are less expensive and more widely available.
• Accuracy: Pill dosing is more precise.
• Sustainability: Reduced packaging helps the environment and decreases hospital waste.

“Such a simple intervention can have a huge impact on families, the environment, and the NHS as a whole”

Dr Thomson

A transplant patient's liquid medication:
Equivalent medication in pill form:
The project will soon expand to other hospital departments, including haematology and oncology, where it could be particularly transformative for children using nasogastric tubes for liquid medication. Many large syringes of medicine could be replaced with just a few pills, potentially leading to the removal of NG tubes, when not needed for nutrition.

Beyond the hospital, the project highlights a broader societal opportunity: teaching pill-swallowing techniques to adults and children alike. This can be an area of difficulty for many people of all ages but remarkably, most people can master pill-swallowing in under 15 minutes, when shown the methods outlined in the project’s guidance.

“We would never give an asthmatic patient an inhaler without showing them how to use it, why do we give people tablets without education on how to swallow them?”

Dr Thomson.

Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity is proud to support this initiative, which is already transforming lives and has the potential to create lasting benefits for NHS teams, families, schools, and communities across Scotland.

“The success of KidzMed Glasgow demonstrates that even young children can learn this vital skill with the right support. This is a game-changer for families and a step forward in making healthcare more sustainable and effective.”