Practice and awareness about unused and expired drug disposal among village people and city people in Bangladesh

Abstract

Medical waste is dangerous and infectious. Prior to final disposal, it needs special handling because it poses substantial risks to the environment. The issue is getting worse as there are more hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic labs rising up all throughout Bangladesh. The majority of individuals do not know how to properly dispose of their unused or expired medications. The purpose of this study was to determine how well-informed city dwellers and villagers in various regions of Bangladesh were regarding the practices for discarding unused and expired medications. This study used a structured questionnaire and face-to-face interviews to conduct a descriptive, cross-sectional study. A total of 200 true questionnaires with a 100% response rate were returned. The all respondents (200) fell into one of two categories: city dwellers or villagers (n = 100; 50%). More than half of city dwellers and villagers expressed a nearly same attitude towards storing medications at home. Analgesics and gastrointestinal agents were the two classes of leftover medications that were most frequently used. Alarmingly, 94 (47%) of the respondents said they typically dumped their unused medications in the dustbin. However, roughly 45% of respondents felt that it is crucial for chemists to provide patients with advice on how to properly dispose of their medications. There are gaps in routine drug disposal procedures, necessitating the development of pharmaceutical waste management systems that are both affordable and supported by government regulatory agencies and public awareness campaigns. Patients should receive training from healthcare professionals and neighbourhood chemists on proper medication disposal procedures.