Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Dec 30:2021:5074380.
doi: 10.1155/2021/5074380. eCollection 2021.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Unused Medications Disposal among Patients Visiting Public Health Centers in Gondar Town, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Alem Endeshaw Woldeyohanins  1 , Meaza Adugna  2 , Tigabu Mihret  1 , Zemene Demelash Kifle  2
Affiliations

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Unused Medications Disposal among Patients Visiting Public Health Centers in Gondar Town, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Alem Endeshaw Woldeyohanins et al. J Environ Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The improvement of healthcare systems has brought the subsequent increase in people access to medications. The consumers are not able to use all the dispensed medications because of various reasons. The improper disposal of these unused medicines has led to environmental contamination to an alarming extent. Therefore, the study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of unused medications disposal among patients visiting public health centers in Gondar town, Ethiopia.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 404 patients visiting public health centers in Gondar town, Ethiopia, from August to September 2021, by using standardized and a locally translated semistructured questionnaire. The data were entered and analyzed by using the SPSS version of 21.0. The variable of interest was described in the form of statements and tables.

Result: Out of 404 respondents included in the study, 221 (54.7%) of them were female. More than half (226 (55.9%)) of the respondents had unused medicine at home. The common methods of disposal practice were throwing into a household garbage (150 (31.4%)), followed by flushed into toilet/sinks (88 (21.8%)). More than half (286 (70.8%)) of the respondents knew about medication waste and 239 (59.2%) of them checked their medication expiry date. More than half (215 (53.5%)) of the participants strongly agreed that unused medicine can cause potential risk at home and 279 (69.1%) of study participants strongly agreed that children are more vulnerable to the potential risk of unused medicine at home.

Conclusion: There was a high practice of keeping medication at home, and most disposal approach indicated by the participants was not recommended methods. Awareness about the proper disposal of unused medicines among the public should be created. Guidelines on safe disposal are required, and an organized method of collecting unused and expired pharmaceuticals needs to be introduced.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of the sampling procedure (n = 404).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Johnson J., Booman L. Drug-related morbidity and mortality. Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy . 1996;2(1):39–47. doi: 10.18553/jmcp.1996.2.1.39. - DOI
    1. McLeod P. J., Huang A. R., Tamblyn R. M., Gayton D. C. Defining inappropriate practices in prescribing for elderly people: a national consensus panel. Canadian Medical Association Journal: Canadian Medical Association journal . 1997;156(3):385–391. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kokabisaghi F. Assessment of the effects of economic sanctions on Iranians’ right to health by using human rights impact assessment tool: a systematic review. International Journal of Health Policy and Management . 2018;7(5):374–393. doi: 10.15171/ijhpm.2017.147. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kassahun H., Tesfaye D. Disposal practices of unused medications among patients in public health centers of Dessie town, northeast Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study. Current Drug Safety . 2020;15(2):105–110. doi: 10.2174/1574886315666200331140400. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gidey M. T., Habtu Birhanu A., Gebremeskel Tsadik A., Gebrezgabiher Welie A., Teklebrhan Assefa B. Knowledge, attitude, and practice of unused and expired medication disposal among patients visiting ayder comprehensive specialized hospital. BioMed Research International . 2020;2020:7. doi: 10.1155/2020/9538127.9538127 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources