<p>Disposal Practices of Unused Medications Among Patients in Public Health Centers of Dessie Town, Northeast Ethiopia: A Cross Sectional Survey</p>

Abstract

Background: Disposal of pharmaceutical waste among patients is a global challenge, especially in developing countries like Ethiopia. Improper medication disposal can lead to health problems and environmental contamination. Therefore, the present study was aimed to assess disposal practices of unused medications among patients in public health centers of Dessie town, Northeast Ethiopia. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 263 patients in four public health centers of Dessie town, Ethiopia from March to June 2019. Face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires were used to collect data from each study subject. Results: The majority of the respondents, 224 (85.17%), had unused medications at their home during the study period. The most commonly reported disposal method in the present study was flushing down into a toilet, 66 (25.09%). None of the respondents practiced returning unused medications to the pharmacy. Moreover, 85 (32.31%) of the respondents reported never disposing of their medications and believed that it is acceptable to store medications at home for future use. Conclusion: In the present study, there was a high practice of keeping medications at home and most of the disposal practices were not recommended methods. In addition, most of the respondents did not receive advice from pharmacists and other health-care professionals on how to dispose of unused medications. Hence, there is a need for proper education and guidance of patients about disposal practices of unused medications.

Lack of Awareness of the Impact of Improperly Disposed Of Medications and Associated Factors: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Indonesian Households

“…The prevalence of unused medications in general population households has substantially increased recently, which can lead to medication wastage (Makki et al, 2019). The prevalence of unused medications was 89.3% (N 337) and 85.2% (N 263) in Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia, respectively (Kassahun and Tesfaye, 2020;Wajid et al, 2020). Furthermore, 2 of 3 prescribed medications were reported unused in households in the United States (Law et al, 2015).…”

The magnitude and associated factors of unused medications storage practice among households in Jimma city, southwest of Ethiopia: Community-based cross-sectional study

“…These medications are commonly intended for future use or are expired, discontinued, deteriorated, or otherwise constitute a large part of household storage practice, which poses a risk to public health and the environment. 1 , 2 The variety of treatment discoveries for various health problems has increased over the last few decades, reshaping patient care approaches in many parts of the world, and associated spending has become higher than the previous forecasts. 3 , 4 , 5.…”