title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Saudi Medication Safety Centre, Ministry of National Guard, Health Affairs, Riyadh, 22490, Saudi Arabia. shareeff@ngha.med.sa.
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Al-Shareef
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, 22452, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Sarah Abu
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: El-Asrar
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, 22452, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Lamyaa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Al-Bakr
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, 22452, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Maisam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Amro
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, 22452, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Fulwah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alqahtani
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, 22452, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Fadilah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aleanizy
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, 22452, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Rashood
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D017744:Medical Waste Disposal; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations
keywords: Medication disposal; Medication waste; Saudi Arabia; Unused medications