ArticleJournal of general internal medicine2019
A Survey of Patients' Perceptions of Pill Appearance and Responses to Changes in Appearance for Four Chronic Disease Medications.
Article in Journal of general internal medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Influence of sex and gender-related factors on the knowledge of generic medicines among older patients and caregivers.Internal and emergency medicine · 2026Article
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- Patient perceptions and preferences of minimally invasive treatment modalities in varicose veins: a cross-sectional survey.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2024Article
- Article
- Commentary: Consensus Guidelines on the Appropriate Use of Brand-Name and Generic Anti-Seizure Medication for the Management of Epilepsy in the Gulf Region.Neurology and therapy · 2023Article
- Lack of Association of Generic Brittle Status with Genetics and Physiologic Measures in Patients with Epilepsy.Pharmaceutical research · 2020Article
- Evaluation of patients' knowledge about their medications: A cross-sectional study in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia.The journal of medicine accessArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGeneric versions of a drug can vary in appearance, which can impact adherence.
objectiveTo assess the preferences, perceptions, and responses of patients who experienced a change in the appearance of a generic medication.
designCross-sectional survey of patients from a large commercial health plan.
participantsAdults receiving generic versions of lisinopril, fluoxetine, lamotrigine, or simvastatin who experienced a change in the color or shape of their pills between March 2014 and November 2015. MAIN MEASURES: Likert-scale responses to questions concerning perceptions of generic drug safety and effectiveness, reliance on and preferences for pill appearance, and responses to pill appearance changes. Multivariable logistic regression-modeled predictors of seeking advice and adjusting use following a pill appearance change. KEY
resultsOf 814 respondents (response rate = 41%), 72% relied on pill appearance to ensure they took the correct medication. A similar percentage wanted their pills to remain the same color (72%), shape (71%), and size (75%) upon refill, but 58% would not have paid a $1 premium on a $5 co-pay to ensure such consistency. Most respondents (86%) wanted their pharmacists to notify them about pill appearance changes, but only 37% recalled such notification; 21% thought they received the wrong medication, and 8% adjusted medication use. Younger respondents (18-33 vs. 50-57 years) were more likely to seek advice (odds ratio [OR] = 1.91; 95% confidence interval [CI],1.02-3.59), and respondents with lower household income (< $30,000 vs. > $100,000) were more likely to adjust medication use (OR = 3.40; 95% CI,1.09-10.67).
conclusionsRequiring uniform pill appearance may help increase adherence but presents challenges. Standardized pharmacy notification and education policies may be a more feasible short-term solution.
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Registered trials
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