Bayo, Paskalina. G   CUHAS/BP/3000218/T/15 <br/><br/>
Awareness and Readiness for Involvement of Community into the Drug Return Programme to Pharmacies at Nyamagana District, Mwanza. 

 - Mwanza, Tanzania:   Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences [CUHAS – Bugando] :     ©2019 
 - x; 37 Pages  Includes References  
<br/><br/> Abstract: <br/><br/>Background: A Drug Return Programme is a widely accepted programme that could ensure the safe disposal of unused and expired drugs. WHO and FDA guided the countries to establish the drugs return program which is safe or proper disposal of unused and expired drugs from home. The drug return programme was implemented in many countries around the world. This program is not yet implemented in our country. <br/><br/>Methodology: Cross sectional study conducted in different households in Nyamagana district, Mwanza. Study included 178 household heads from households selected by systematic random sampling from each data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. <br/><br/>Results and Discussion: A total of 178 respondents participated in the study. The majority of them (59%) were female. About 1 (94.4%) of respondents were married and (33.7% were in the range of 40-49 years followed by (32.6%) respondents range of 30-39 years. Majority of the participants (62.4%) among 178 who participated in the study responded that they have unused and expired drugs in their house. The majority of the respondents (90.4%) have not heard about drugs return programme for unused and expired drugs. Only (3.4%) of respondents were aware and only 2 (1.1%) of participants returned unused drugs to nearby hospital. (98.9%) participants were ready to return unused drugs to pharmacies. <br/><br/>Conclusion and recommendation: The study showed that the level of awareness of households about drug return programme was low and the level of readiness to return unused and expired drugs to pharmacies was high but most of them were not ready to share drug disposal cost. The government policy makers, Drug Authority and other stakeholders should establish Drug Programme and Health care provider and public education regarding safe drug disposal needed. <br/><br/>Keywords: Unused and expired drugs, drug return programme, proper drug disposal. <br/> 
<br/><br/><label>Publisher. No.: </label> Wurzburg Road 35, BMC Premises, Post Code: 33102:            P. O. Box 1464, Mwanza – Tanzania: 	  Phone: +255 28 298 3384:   	Fax: +255 28 298 3386: 	  Email: vc@bugando.ac.tz:  www.bugando.ac.tz 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Personal Names: </label>--Pharmacy