Practices Towards Disposing of Unwanted Medicines (Expired and Lefttouts) Among Residents in Nyamagana District, Mwanza.
Mcharo, Gloria. J CUHAS/BP/3000056/T/11
Practices Towards Disposing of Unwanted Medicines (Expired and Lefttouts) Among Residents in Nyamagana District, Mwanza. - Mwanza, Tanzania: Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences [CUHAS – Bugando] : Phone: +255 28 298 3384 : Fax: +255 28 298 3386 : Email: vc@bugando.ac.tz : Website: www.bugando.ac.tz : ©2015 - xii; 36 Pages Includes Refferences and Appendices
Abstract:
Introduction: The disposal of unwanted household medicines both expired and leftover had been concern in many countries, but in our country is neglected issue. TFDA explain only on how to disposal unfit medicines and cosmetics in hospital and community pharmacies.
Aim: Was to assess practices towards disposing of unwanted household medicines both expired and leftover among residents in Nyamagana districts in Mwanza.
Methodology: Cross section survey study was used and data were collected through interview people (359 participants where by 268 were women and 91 men) by using questionnaire both closed and open end questionnaire. Out of 12 wards found in Nyamagana district 8 wards were selected systematically by using excel, and in every house only one member participated in this study.
Results: Out 359 participants, 252(70.19%) participants were having the drugs in their house at time of visit, 10(2.79%) where having them for further use and most drugs were analgesics example Paracetamol and dicloper, metronidazole and ALU.
Remaining participants 242 were having unused drugs which must be discarded. 199(82.23%) of them were having those leftover drugs after recovering from their illness, 20(5.57%) left them due to bad side effect of the drugs, 15(4.18%) changed the treatment and 8(2.23%) forget to take the drugs. 290 of participants have had the experiences of discarding unwanted household drugs, 136(46.6%) discard those drugs because they were expired, 141(45.9%) dispose drugs after recovering from their conditions and 13(4.5%) notice color change, 219(61%) of participants threw them into domestic trashes, 45(12%) threw them down the toilet, 29(8.08%) burn them and 1(0,28%) buried them in the ground. 328(91.36%) of participants they don’t know what are exactly proper ways of disposing unwanted households drugs and they never learned or asked about it from any health practitioners.
Majority of participants 273 are aware of impacts of improper disposal of unwanted drugs can harm human health and environment in general.
There was statistical significance of awareness about acceptable disposal methods with respondent education and residences with Chi-square value of 27.13 and 52.04 respectively and P-value of 0.04 and 0.04 respectively, there was also statistical significance of medicines disposing practices with age and education with Chi-square value of 27.32 and 33.28 respectively and also P-value 0.038 and 0.007 respectively, statistically significance was also seen in education status and occupation with patients awareness about bad effect of improper disposal of medicines with Chi-square value of 52.64 and 48.82 respectively and P-value of ≥0.001 and 0.001 respectively.
Conclusion: This study showed that the majority of the participants kept the unused medications in their home threw into the trash and flushing into the toilet as possible disposal methods which were not accomplished as TFDA and WHO guidelines recommend and may pose a problem to the environment, animals and facilities drug-resistance bacteria.
--Pharmacy
Practices Towards Disposing of Unwanted Medicines (Expired and Lefttouts) Among Residents in Nyamagana District, Mwanza. - Mwanza, Tanzania: Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences [CUHAS – Bugando] : Phone: +255 28 298 3384 : Fax: +255 28 298 3386 : Email: vc@bugando.ac.tz : Website: www.bugando.ac.tz : ©2015 - xii; 36 Pages Includes Refferences and Appendices
Abstract:
Introduction: The disposal of unwanted household medicines both expired and leftover had been concern in many countries, but in our country is neglected issue. TFDA explain only on how to disposal unfit medicines and cosmetics in hospital and community pharmacies.
Aim: Was to assess practices towards disposing of unwanted household medicines both expired and leftover among residents in Nyamagana districts in Mwanza.
Methodology: Cross section survey study was used and data were collected through interview people (359 participants where by 268 were women and 91 men) by using questionnaire both closed and open end questionnaire. Out of 12 wards found in Nyamagana district 8 wards were selected systematically by using excel, and in every house only one member participated in this study.
Results: Out 359 participants, 252(70.19%) participants were having the drugs in their house at time of visit, 10(2.79%) where having them for further use and most drugs were analgesics example Paracetamol and dicloper, metronidazole and ALU.
Remaining participants 242 were having unused drugs which must be discarded. 199(82.23%) of them were having those leftover drugs after recovering from their illness, 20(5.57%) left them due to bad side effect of the drugs, 15(4.18%) changed the treatment and 8(2.23%) forget to take the drugs. 290 of participants have had the experiences of discarding unwanted household drugs, 136(46.6%) discard those drugs because they were expired, 141(45.9%) dispose drugs after recovering from their conditions and 13(4.5%) notice color change, 219(61%) of participants threw them into domestic trashes, 45(12%) threw them down the toilet, 29(8.08%) burn them and 1(0,28%) buried them in the ground. 328(91.36%) of participants they don’t know what are exactly proper ways of disposing unwanted households drugs and they never learned or asked about it from any health practitioners.
Majority of participants 273 are aware of impacts of improper disposal of unwanted drugs can harm human health and environment in general.
There was statistical significance of awareness about acceptable disposal methods with respondent education and residences with Chi-square value of 27.13 and 52.04 respectively and P-value of 0.04 and 0.04 respectively, there was also statistical significance of medicines disposing practices with age and education with Chi-square value of 27.32 and 33.28 respectively and also P-value 0.038 and 0.007 respectively, statistically significance was also seen in education status and occupation with patients awareness about bad effect of improper disposal of medicines with Chi-square value of 52.64 and 48.82 respectively and P-value of ≥0.001 and 0.001 respectively.
Conclusion: This study showed that the majority of the participants kept the unused medications in their home threw into the trash and flushing into the toilet as possible disposal methods which were not accomplished as TFDA and WHO guidelines recommend and may pose a problem to the environment, animals and facilities drug-resistance bacteria.
--Pharmacy