Medication take-back programs in Qatar

Abstract

Purpose: To identify parental perception of a take-back program for medications. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study using a questionnaire was conducted at Hamad Medical Corporation, the only tertiary pediatric hospital in the State of Qatar at the time of the study. Qatar is a rapidly developing country with limited national data on the awareness of medication misuse among adults living with children at home and on the safety practices regarding medication disposal. Results: 305 questionnaires were completed (response rate = 90%). More than 80% of parents were in between 20 and 39 years of age, 70% of them were females, and 80% were college graduates. Approximately 90% of participants have immediate relatives who were taking medications for chronic diseases. Almost 60% of parents stated that they keep unused medications at home, whereas 10% were not aware of the fate of the left over medications. Approximately 95% of the parents dispose the expired medications. In terms of the mode of disposing the medications, 66% of caregivers dispose the medication bottle or package in the trash can, whereas 14% remove the medications from the bottles or packages and throw them in the trash, and 15% put them through the drain. When asked if participants read disposal measures in the medication pamphlet, only 10% answered “always,” whereas 26% answered “sometimes.” Participants were asked if they have heard of any medications take-back programs, 75% answered no, whereas 14% were not sure. However, almost 60% of them will use the take-back program if available and 18% were not sure. Conclusion: Parents residing in the State of Qatar have deficiencies in knowledge about medication disposal. Parent's attitudes and perceptions are considered indispensable targets for community health intervention. Our next step is to share our data with the ministry of health to spread awareness about the proper disposal of medicines and take-back programs in Qatar.

Work experience, profession type, and perception of medication waste disposal among healthcare workers: A study in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia

“…This finding was consistent with a finding from a previous study, in which the participants pharmacists’ response that there was no clear census policy on how to appropriately dispose of medication waste ( Lucca et al, 2019 , Alqurshi, 2020 ). The Food and Drug Authority (FDA), in United States, had launched several guidelines for the safe disposal of unused and expired medicine which includes the take-back program ( Hendaus et al, 2021 ). Such a program is not clearly defined and established in Saudi Arabia and no clear guidelines were established to govern the safe and proper disposal of medication waste ( Alhomoud, 2020 ).…”

Patients’ knowledge, attitude, and practices toward unused medications in Qatar: A cross-sectional survey

“…A similar study indicated that 51.8 % (n = 199) of the respondents were unaware of medication waste, and 60.7 % (n = 233) did not hear about medications’ proper disposal instructions. Respondents not hearing about unwanted medications take-back programs was confirmed by another Qatar-based study; however, almost 60 % of these respondents stated that they would utilize such programs if available [ 21 ]. Conversely, a similar study indicated that inappropriate disposal occurred due to lack of awareness about how to treat expired medications [ 16 ].…”

“…Similar to previous findings [ 32 , 36 ], almost half of the respondents in this study (47.8 %, n = 196) had unused medications in their homes at the time of completing the questionnaire. Another study in Qatar revealed that almost 60 % of parents declared that they keep unused medications at home [ 21 ]. In the present study, having unused medications in the patient's home was significantly associated with age group (χ 2 = 16.846, p = 0.032), nationality (χ 2 = 39.133, p < 0.001), household income (χ 2 = 25.262, p < 0.001), and occupation (χ 2 = 13.292, p = 0.039).…”

“…In Qatar, a study revealed that almost 60 % of parents keep unused medications at home [ 21 ]. Another study of patients with diabetes in Qatar revealed that low adherence due to forgetfulness and subsequently uncontrolled glucose levels lead to many complications, such as diabetic nephropathy, neuropathy, and retinopathy [ 22 ].…”