Dataset Information

Disposal practices of expired and unused medications among households in Mwanza, Tanzania.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The community practice towards disposal of expired and unused medications in spite of its adverse impact have been widely neglected in many developing countries. The available guidelines in Tanzania focus on the disposal of expired medications and cosmetics in hospitals and community pharmacies only.

Aim

The aim of this study was to assess the disposal practice of expired and unused medications at household level in Mwanza city, north-western Tanzania.

Methodology

The household based cross-sectional study was conducted among 359 randomly selected household members. Semi-structured questionnaires were used for interview during data collection and while STATA® version 13 was used for analysis.

Results

Out 359 households visited, 252 (70.19%) had medications kept in their houses at the time of data collection. Among them, 10 (4.0%) households had kept medications at their houses because they were still continuing with treatment while 242 (96.0%) kept unused medications which were supposed to be discarded. The main reason for keeping unused or expired medications at home was uncompleted course of treatment (199 (82.20%) after feeling that they had recovered from illness. The main reason for discarding medications were recovering from illness (141(48.7%) and expiry (136 (46.9%). The major discarding practices for medications were disposing into domestic trashes (219 (75.5%) and pit latrines (45 (15.5%). Majority of respondents (273 (76%) were aware that improper disposal of expired medications are detrimental to human health and environment in general.

Conclusion

Improper disposal of unused and expired medications at household level was a common practice in the study area. Tailor-made interventions by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and other national as well as local stake holders are urgently needed to address the situation.

SUBMITTER: Marwa KJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7861449 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Disposal practices of expired and unused medications among households in Mwanza, Tanzania.

Marwa Karol Julius KJ Mcharo Glory G Mwita Stanley S Katabalo Deogratias D Ruganuza Deodatus D Kapesa Anthony A

PloS one 20210204 2

<h4>Background</h4>The community practice towards disposal of expired and unused medications in spite of its adverse impact have been widely neglected in many developing countries. The available guidelines in Tanzania focus on the disposal of expired medications and cosmetics in hospitals and community pharmacies only.<h4>Aim</h4>The aim of this study was to assess the disposal practice of expired and unused medications at household level in Mwanza city, north-western Tanzania.<h4>Methodology</h ...[more]

PMID: 33539402

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Project description:ObjectiveAlthough community practices towards disposal of expired and unused medications vary globally, the phenomenon is neglected specifically in developing countries. We, therefore, aimed to assess the disposal practices of unused and expired pharmaceuticals among the general public in Quetta city, Pakistan.MethodsA questionnaire-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted among 830 respondents in Quetta city, Pakistan. A pre-validated, structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were coded and analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 26. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were sued and p<0.05 was taken as significant.ResultsAlmost 87% of the respondents had unused medicines at their homes and reusing the medications was the purpose of medicine storage (50%). Medicines were mostly kept in refrigerators (36.0%) followed by bedrooms (28.8%). Fifty percent of the respondents never checked the expiry date before using the medications. The procedure to dispose of nearly expired or expired medicines was unknown to 88% of the respondents and for those reasons, medicines were disposed either in household trash or flushed in the toilet or sink. Interestingly, medicines were kept at home even after being expired by 27% of the respondents. Income was associated with reason of storing medicines (p = 0.004; φc = 0.402) while educational status had significant associations with storage of medications (p = 0.002; φc = 0.399), reading about storage instructions (p = 0.008; φc = 0.452) and checking expiry date before purchasing and using the medicines (p = 0.007; φc = 0.114 and p = 0.001; φc = 0.100) respectively.ConclusionImproper storage and disposal of unused and expired medications is a common practice among study respondents and raised serious concerns. Findings of the current study call upon immediate development and implementation of the strategies to promote awareness and strengthen the pharmaceutical waste management program at the societal level.

Project description:IntroductionPharmacists play a vital role in counseling customers on proper medication disposal, yet their consistency in providing such information is often lacking. This study aimed to assess pharmacists' awareness of appropriate disposal practices for unused and expired household medications. Additional objectives included evaluating whether pharmacists offer disposal information during counseling, measuring their willingness to receive medication waste from the public, and identifying associated factors.MethodsA national cross-sectional online survey employing convenience sampling was conducted among pharmacists working in hospitals, pharmacies, clinics, or community health centers (CHCs) in Indonesia, using a validated questionnaire to assess awareness, information provision, and willingness to receive medications for disposal. Binary logistic regression, with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and odds ratios (OR), explored potential associations between factors and outcomes.ResultsThis study involved 1,596 pharmacists across 37 Indonesian provinces. Most pharmacists were women (80.4 %), aged 31-40 years (49.3 %), with a pharmacist professional background (93.8 %), working in CHCs (41.2 %), and practicing for 1-5 years (51.0 %). More than half were unaware of guidelines for returning medications to health facilities. While 69.9 % never counseled customers on disposal practices, 64.9 % expressed willingness to receive unused and expired medication from the public. Pharmacists practicing for at least six years were more likely to provide disposal information during counseling (OR: 2.54; 95 % CI: 1.44-4.47). Conversely, those in clinics (OR: 2.16; 95 % CI: 1.29-3.62), CHCs (OR: 2.07; 95 % CI: 1.45-2.95), or hospitals (OR: 2.00; 95 % CI: 1.27-3.14) were more likely to be unwilling to receive expired and unused household medication.ConclusionsThe study reveals that most pharmacists, particularly those with limited practice duration, lacked awareness regarding the importance of proper medication disposal and did not provide counseling on appropriate medication disposal to patients. To address this issue, there is a pressing need for intensified education intensified education at the undergraduate level, continuous training for pharmacists, and a clear policy and practical guidelines, particularly targeting pharmacists in clinics, CHCs, and hospitals, to facilitate the acceptance of unused and expired household medications.

Project description:BackgroundDiscarding pharmaceuticals in the garbage or into the sewage system are still the most common methods in many countries. This study aims to investigate the guidance provided by pharmacists to customers on the disposal of unused and expired household medications in São Paulo State, Brazil.MethodThe study population consisted of 630 pharmacists from the State of São Paulo, who work in community pharmacies. They answered an online questionnaire with questions composed in three blocks: demographic, work, and academic information on the pharmacist; guidance about the disposal of household medications; and knowledge regarding the reverse logistics of these medications. An invitation to participate in the questionnaire was made via WhatsApp, individually and collectively. Inferential statistics were performed using the chi-square test and were considered significant when p < 0.05%.ResultsAmong the participating pharmacists, the majority were women under 60 years old,56 (8.89%) stated that they never orient the customer regarding the disposal of unused and expired household medications, while 574 (91,12%) indicated that they almost provide guidance. The frequency with which they provided guidance was influenced by the number of years since graduation (p = 0.0047), the time they had worked in pharmacies and drugstores (p = 0.0007), and whether or not they had a graduate degree (p = 0.0181). Regarding the disposal of medications, among the 643 responses provided by the pharmacists,516 (80.25%) indicated that they oriented customers to return them to a pharmacy.ConclusionA small number of pharmacists always orient customers on the proper disposal that should be followed for unused and expired household medications, prioritizing their return to a pharmacy. In general, these pharmacists have longer periods of work experience and higher academic qualifications. Thus, it is important to increase knowledge through professional training and further education programs.

Project description:Background:Medicines have become part of our day-to-day life. Due to different reasons, patients may not use all the medications dispensed to them. The storage of drugs at home promotes self-medication, which results in variety of adverse consequences. Global growth in health-seeking awareness and behavior among people has resulted in increment of medicine consumption over years. However, Ethiopians have little awareness about proper disposal of unused and expired pharmaceuticals. Besides, large quantities remain unused or expired since not all medications given to the consumers are consumed. Hence, this study could serve as an indicator for the country policy makers concerning pharmaceutical waste management. Objective:To assess knowledge, attitude, and disposal practice of unused and expired pharmaceuticals in the community of Adigrat city, Tigray, Ethiopia, 2019. Methodology. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 359 respondents from the residents of Adigrat city. Semistructured questionnaires, which focused on knowledge, attitudes, and disposal practices for unused and expired medications, were used to collect data from respondents. Epi-data 3.0 suite and the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20 were used in data entry and analysis. Results:All of the 359 returned questionnaires were valid for data entry and analysis. Of the 359 respondents, 57.7% were men and the majority (93%) were Orthodox Christians. Almost half of the respondents (50.14%) have good knowledge concerning the disposal of unused and expired pharmaceuticals. Most (82.2%) of the respondents have a positive attitude towards the disposal of unused and expired pharmaceuticals. Around fifty-two (52.4) of the respondents had unused medicines stored at home, with analgesics being the most common (41.5%). Around three-quarters (75.2%) and 63% of the respondents discarded unused and expired medicines in the garbage bins, respectively. Conclusion:Although the majority of the respondents had a positive attitude towards the disposal of unused and expired medications, almost half of the sample population were unaware of proper disposal practices. Furthermore, less were inclined to practice proper disposal of unused and expired medications in the city. Therefore, we recommend further studies that focus on how the disposal attitude of the population can influence their knowledge and practice of the disposal of unused and expired medications.

Project description:BackgroundThe appropriate disposal of medication is a well-recognized issue that has convened growing recognition in several contexts. Insufficient awareness relating to appropriate methods for the disposal of unneeded medicine may result in notable consequences. The current research was conducted among the public in Iraq with the aim of examining their knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding the proper disposal of unused and expired medicines.MethodsThe present study used an observational cross-sectional design that was community-based. The data were obtained from using an online questionnaire. The study sample included people of diverse genders, regardless of their race or occupational status. The study mandated that all participants meet two criteria: firstly, they had to be a minimum of 18 years old, and secondly, they needed to have permanent residency status in Iraq.ResultsThe research population consisted of 591 participants from general population. The majority of participants were men (64.8%) with average age of 33.5±9.1 years. The majority of participants (˃50%) answered four out of eight knowledge questions correctly. There were significant (P-value ˂0.05) differences in four knowledge items about disposing of unused/expired medications according to the educational level. Elder participants had significantly higher knowledge about the disposing of unused/expired medications compared to younger ones. More than 84% correctly agreed that improper disposal of unused and expired medication has adverse effects on environment. Although the majority of the participants had positive attitude toward the safe disposal of unused/expired medications, their actual practice was improper for these medications. Approximately 70% of the participants have disposed unused/expired medications into their home trash can.ConclusionDespite increasing awareness from the general populace about the possible harm and substantial hazards linked to expired medicines, there is an absence of understanding concerning the proper techniques for disposing of and managing these prescriptions.

Dataset Information

Disposal practices of expired and unused medications among households in Mwanza, Tanzania.

Background

Aim

Methodology

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Disposal practices of expired and unused medications among households in Mwanza, Tanzania.

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