Pharmacists’ Knowledge Regarding Drug Disposal in Karbala

Albaroodi, Khansaa A. Ibrahim

doi:10.3390/pharmacy7020057

Cited by 21 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 15 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…In the current findings, pharmacists disposed UMs mostly in trash followed by burning and disposal by drug wholesalers. These practices are similar to the practices followed by the public in Iraqi and Kuwait [12,13]. The disposal pattern of various dosage forms revealed inconsistency in disposal practices across the various drug dosage forms.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Disposal Practices of Unused Medication Among Pharmacists in Libya

Atia¹

2021

Preprint

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Background and objective. Globally, disposing of unused medicines has become a source of concern, as pharmaceutical waste enters the ecosystem, posing a threat to human health and the environment. This study aimed to assess the disposal practice of unused medication among pharmacists in Libya. This study also seeks to determine if pharmacists plan to have their pharmacies serve as assembly points for potential take-back initiatives. Methods. A random sample of 150 pharmacists from various government and private pharmacies in Tripoli participated in a self-administered questionnaire about their disposal practices, and knowledge on pharmacies serving as collection points for ideal disposal of unused medicines. Descriptive statistics were used to interpret the data. Results. A total of 128 pharmacists completed the survey. The majority of respondents said that throwing discarded drugs in the trash bin was their preferred method of disposal (53.1%), followed by discarding via burn and drug wholesalers (17.2%, 14.8%, respectively). Only 2.1% of the respondents disposed unused medicines according to the WHO guidelines of drug disposal. Moreover, about 65.6% had poor knowledge about Take-Back program. Conclusion. Failure to follow the WHO guidelines for drug disposal raises the risk of contamination of our environment and the likelihood of humans and animals ingesting harmful pharmaceutical wastes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Disposal Practices of Unused Medication Among Pharmacists in Libya

Atia¹

2021

Preprint

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“…Moreover, flushing unused medications down the toilet or sink, especially liquid dosage forms, has been reported in a lot of studies from a number of countries such as United States [53][54][55]59], England [21][22][23], New Zealand [20], Bangladesh [34], Iraq [60], and Saudi Arabia [51]. In contracts, the sewer method of disposal was less common in Sweden [17], Romania [29], or Oman [61].…”

Section: Literature Review Of Some Reported Disposal Practices Aroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is, also, an absence of socioeconomic status in many studies. In addition, some of surveys were not conducted in public, but in specific places such as pharmacies (in Iraq) [60] or companies (in Turkey) [24].…”

Section: Literature Review Of Some Reported Disposal Practices Aroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expired Medication: Societal, Regulatory and Ethical Aspects of a Wasted Opportunity

Alnahas

Yeboah

Fliedel

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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A massive volume of expired medications amasses annually around the world because of pharmaceutical overprescription, combined with overproduction. The accumulation of pharmaceutical waste imposes ecological, economic and social/ethical burdens. Managing this presumed “waste” has developed into a global challenge due to the absence of specific regulations, unreasonable behavior of the patients, and an improper understanding of the concept of “expired medications” in general. This paper summaries, first, the recent literature reporting practices related to the disposal of unused medications. In this context, 48 papers from 34 countries with a total of 33,832 participants point towards a significant lack of public awareness regarding the appropriate disposal of such biologically potent chemicals. These findings are corroborated by a local survey on the disposal practices of unused medicines among pharmacy students at Saarland University. The regulatory aspects surrounding this topic, often based on the official guidelines for the disposal of expired medications and local waste management strategies, are then discussed in light of these findings. Finally, a closer inspection of the epistemic values of expired medications and different strategies for managing expired medications have been reviewed.

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“…Another reason for increased pharmaceutical waste is a lack of knowledge regarding medication usage and disposal [ 46 , 47 ]. Patients may not be educated as how best to safely dispose of their medicines.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research on hospitals in Kuwait found that pharmacists lacked knowledge about the consequences of sub-optimal/unsafe pharmaceutical disposal methods and often did not follow guidelines that were issued by the Ministry of Health [ 49 ]. A similar study [ 47 ] on Iraqi hospitals found that pharmacists needed programmes to improve their knowledge of appropriate disposal methods for pharmaceuticals waste. Inadequate training and a lack of awareness among hospital staff, such as nurses and pharmacists, contribute to the increase in pharmaceutical waste in many countries.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can We Create a Circular Pharmaceutical Supply Chain (CPSC) to Reduce Medicines Waste?

et al. 2020

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Background: The increase in pharmaceutical waste medicines is a global phenomenon and financial burden. The Circular Economy, as a philosophy within the pharmaceutical supply chain, aims to promote waste reduction, maximise medicines value, and enable sustainability within this supply chain (increasing circularity). Circularity strategies for pharmaceuticals are not currently implemented in many countries, due to quality and safety barriers. The aim of this study was to determine whether the application of circular economy principles can minimise pharmaceutical waste and support sustainability in the pharmaceutical supply chain; Methods: a detailed narrative literature review was conducted in order to examine pharmaceutical waste creation, management, disposal, and the application of circular economy principles; Results: the literature scrutinised revealed that pharmaceutical waste is created by multiple routes, each of which need to be addressed by pharmacists and healthcare bodies through the Circular Economy 9R principles. These principles act as a binding mechanism for disparate waste management initiatives. Medicines, or elements of a pharmaceutical product, can be better managed to reduce waste, cost, and reduce negative environmental impacts through unsafe disposal. Conclusions: the study findings outline a Circular Pharmaceutical Supply Chain and suggests that it should be considered and tested as a sustainable supply chain proposition.

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Pharmacists’ Knowledge Regarding Drug Disposal in Karbala

Cited by 21 publications

References 15 publications

Disposal Practices of Unused Medication Among Pharmacists in Libya

Disposal Practices of Unused Medication Among Pharmacists in Libya

Expired Medication: Societal, Regulatory and Ethical Aspects of a Wasted Opportunity

Can We Create a Circular Pharmaceutical Supply Chain (CPSC) to Reduce Medicines Waste?

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