Investigating the disposal of expired and unused medication in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Improper disposal of medication has several possible consequences such as childhood poisoning, environmental pollution, a negative impact on wildlife, and antibiotic resistance. The number of studies conducted to characterize pharmaceutical disposal practices is limited, particularly in the Middle East. Objective The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the behaviour of individuals with respect to the disposal of expired and unused medications. Furthermore, we aimed to identify the best methods of education regarding appropriate, safe disposal of medication. Setting The study was carried out in King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), and King Saud University (KSU), during a 3-month period from February 2015 to April 2015. Method Twelve hundred patients were randomly selected from KKUH and KSU. Participants were invited to complete paper-based questionnaire with self enumeration. Pilot testing was conducted and involved 50 randomly selected participants. Main outcome measures The proportion of expired medications present in the home and their therapeutic groups, disposal methods of expired and unused medications, and preferred educational methods regarding safe and proper disposing of medications. Results A substantial proportion (79.15 %) of respondents disposed of unwanted medication via household waste, while a small proportion (1.70 %) returned unwanted medication to a pharmacy. Although currently practised disposal methods are undoubtedly unsuitable, 70.20 % of respondents considered finding appropriate, safe methods via which to dispose of unwanted medication their responsibility, and 78.6 % expressed an interest in receiving information concerning the correct disposal of unwanted medication. Conclusion We have demonstrated that a low percentage of respondents have ever received information regarding correct medication disposal. Moreover, the results have shown that over half of the respondents store antibiotics in their households. Additionally, respondents weren't aware of the consequences of keeping expired medication at home. It is quite clear that the awareness of proper and safe drug disposal among the Saudi population is quite low making it a priority of concerned authorities to implement educational programs.

Knowledge and awareness of disposal of unused and expired medications among medical undergraduates of A Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital at B G Nagar: A cross-sectional observational study

“…[28] 37 (75.51%) were knowing consequences of storage and improper drug disposal which is good sign suggesting their awareness and knowledge which likely results in drug abuse, drug misuse for recreational purpose, accidental poisoning in children's, and environmental hazards which were in congruence with Sirisha et al study. [20] Most common dosage form leftover was tablets (82.81%) followed by creams, ointments, and lotion (59.34%) which differs from Sirisha et al study where syrups and capsules; and Al-Shareef et al study [1] where more than 50% were antibiotics, implying that ease of storing and their thinking toward use of the same for future their illness. This reflects the how OTC drug purchase can cause pile up on drug stocks at home.…”

“…[1,2] Access this article online , allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.…”

Household medical waste disposal policy in Israel

“…Less than 5 % of the public return unwanted medications to the pharmacy or to their physicians while most of the Saudi Arabian public throw unwanted medications to the household trash, regardless of medication type [36]. …”

A study on awareness regarding disposal of unused medicines among consumers at a tertiary care teaching hospital of north india

“…9 Moreover, improper disposal of medications have several other consequences also such as childhood poisoning, environmental pollution and antibiotic resistance. 10 Medication wastage is considered a universal problem and has a significant impact on the cost of healthcare. 11 Various factors contribute to non-usage and disposal of medicines by consumers such as change of prescription by prescribers, adverse effects of the drug, unclear instruction, resolution of condition/clinical symptom and medicines reaching the expiry date.…”