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

Abstract

Introduction: Disposal of unused medications through environmentally unsafe routes is common in Indonesia. The lack of awareness of the impact of improperly disposed of medications is a significant contributing factor. The objectives of this study were to identify factors associated with lack of awareness of the impact of improperly disposed of unused medications and to assess the associations of awareness with medication disposal practices among the general population in Indonesia.Patients and methods: An observational cross-sectional survey was conducted using nonprobability sampling in Bandung, Indonesia, from November 2017 to January 2018 among respondents who were older than 18 years, had used any medication in the past, were literate, and had signed an informed consent document. Disposal practices and awareness regarding the impact of improperly disposed of unused medications were collected using an online- and a paper-based pre-validated questionnaire. The paper-based questionnaires were distributed to respondents in public places such as city center, markets, and religious places. Binary logistic regression was performed to assess associations of sociodemographic and other related factors with a lack of awareness. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are reported.Results: Of 497 participating respondents, 433 and 64 respondents filled an online- or a paper-based questionnaire, respectively. Most respondents were female, aged between 18 and 30 years, and students/university students. Of 497 respondents, more than half (53.1%) were not aware that improper medication disposal could harm the environment and population health. Most respondents (79.5%) had never received information about proper medication disposal practices. The education level, the number of stored medications at home, and previous education about medication disposal practices were significantly associated with awareness of proper practices. In the multivariate analysis, only those with previous education about medication disposal practices were less likely to report a lack of awareness (OR: 0.043; 95% CI: 0.02–0.09). Respondents with a lack of awareness tended to dispose of their unused medications in the garbage or shared them with friends or relatives.Conclusion: There is a clear need to increase awareness of the importance of proper medication disposal practices, in particular among the student population of Bandung city, Indonesia. Healthcare providers can play an important role by educating this specific population on the proper disposal of unused medications.

A cross-sectional survey to assess the drug disposal practices of unused and expired medicines among lay public visiting a tertiary care hospital in an urban metropolis

“…In addition, 79.5% agreed to fact that they had never received information about proper medication disposal practices. [19] A similar study by Marwa et al assessed the disposal practice of expired and unused medications at household level among Tanzania population (N=359). The results revealed that 96% kept unused/expired medications in their homes which were supposed to be discarded and disposing of medications practice followed were domestic trashes (75.5%) and pit latrines (15.5%) with 76% aware of the detrimental effect of improper disposal of expired medications to human health and environment.…”

An Intelligent System for Proper Management and Disposal of Unused and Expired Medications

“…Secondly, some people need treatment and medication but cannot afford them. Many people may not know of the best ways to dispose of unused and expired drugs and there is a need to make the public aware of this and to assist in the proper gathering of unused pharmaceutical products [ 5 , 18 , 19 ]. Bridging all these issues and addressing them through the deployment of the website and device was the focus of our research.…”

Kajian Pengelolaan Dan Regulasi Obat Tidak Terpakai Dan Obat Kedaluarsa Di Rumah Tangga Di Kabupaten Padang Pariaman

“…Di Australia, program take-back obat yang disebut kampanye Return Unwanted Medicines berhasil mengumpulkan 700 ton obat-obatan yang tidak diinginkan pada tahun 2015-2016, membantu mencegah mereka dibuang secara tidak tepat dan menyebabkan kerusakan lingkungan [3]. Memperbaiki praktik pembuangan obat yang tidak terpakai saat ini di Indonesia akan membutuhkan metode terorganisir untuk mengumpulkan obat yang tidak digunakan dari masyarakat dan membuangnya dengan benar melalui kebijakan praktis seperti program pengobatan take-back berbasis farmasi [17]. Selain itu, program Gema Cermat (Gerakan Masyarakat Cerdas Menggunakan Obat) dan Dagusibu (Dapatkan, Gunakan, Simpan dan Buang) melibatkan apoteker sebagai agen perubahan untuk meningkatkan penggunaan obat-obatan secara rasional di masyarakat [18,19].…”