TITLE:
Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices towards the Disposal of Unused and Expired Medications among Students of Private Medical Universities in Lusaka, Zambia
AUTHORS:
Martin Kampamba, Vewoerd Maingaila, Tumelo Muyenga Akapelwa, Steward Mudenda, Luke Biete, Webrod Mufwambi, Michelo Banda, Margaret Phiri, Christabel Nang’andu Hikaambo
KEYWORDS:
Unused Medications, Expired Medications, Medicine Disposal, Medicine Waste
JOURNAL NAME:
Pharmacology & Pharmacy,
Vol.13 No.2,
February
16,
2022
ABSTRACT: Background: The disposal of unused and expired medications has been a concern in
many countries in that, the pharmaceutical waste enters the ecosystem and
eventually causes a negative impact on human health and environment. Aim: To assess the knowledge, attitude and disposal practices of unused and expired
medicines by students in the private medical universities in Lusaka of Zambia. Method:
A cross-sectional survey was conducted over a period of 8 weeks among 391
respondents from three private universities in Lusaka. Respondents were polled
using semi structured questions that focused on their knowledge, attitudes, and
disposal practices for unused and expired
drugs. In order to analyze data, the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20 was utilized. Results: The mean age of the
participants was 23 years (SD: ±3). Out of the 391 participants, 320 (81.8%)
knew about medicine waste and 391 (100.0%) responded that unsafe disposal of
unused and expired medicine poses a threat to human health and can harm the
environment. The drug-take-back system was unknown to a vast percentage of the
respondent 371 (94.9%). The majority 274 (70.1%) of respondents had unused
medicine stored at home, with antibiotics 215 (56.0%) and analgesia 111 (28.4%)
being the most prevalent types of drugs kept in the households. The most
commonly used disposal practice for unused 126 (32.2%) and expired medicines
274 (70.1%) was throwing them in household garbage. Only 27 (6.9%) and 30
(7.7%) reported returning unused and expired medicines to the nearest pharmacy respectively. The majority of
respondents believed the risk stemmed from the presence of an undesired
drug in the home, the potential for harm to children, a lack of proper
information on safe disposal practices, and the necessity for a take-back program. Conclusions: The majority of the study participants used unsafe methods
to dispose of unused and expired medicine. However, most of the
participants acknowledged that unsafe
disposal of unused and expired medicines is a public health problem and
proposed the need to introduce drug take-back programs in the communities.