Study and investigation of storage and disposal of unused and expired medications (knowledge, attitude, practice) among pharmacies in Tabriz

Abstract

Introduction: The proper disposal of unused and expired medications at pharmacies require awareness of the community pharmacists and an organized drug collection system. Concerns are related to the devastating effects of drugs in the environment and contamination of the soil and groundwater. Objective: In this study, the methods of preserving and disposing of unused and expired medications in Tabriz pharmacies have been investigated and influencing factors have been discussed.. . Method: Accordingly, this research is an analytical cross-sectional study. The population of this study is focused on Tabriz pharmacies. A total of 92 questionnaires were filled randomly by Tabriz pharmacists. After completing the questionnaires, the data were analyzed by the SPSS software. Results: Based on the results, overstocking (46.7%) and poor methods of stocking (27.2%) were cited as the most main reasons for drug expiration. In this study, the dominant way of direct disposal into garbage cans was selected for expired and unused non-hazardous (solid and liquid) and hazardous pharmaceutical waste at a rate of 78, 63, and 46% respectively. Additionally, 41.3% of participants expressed that they return expired hazardous pharmaceutical waste to pharmaceutical distributor companies Conclusion: By analyzing the obtained data, there was no straight correlation between knowledge and practice of participants regarding proper disposal methods. In Tabriz, the lack of an organized drug collection system, lead to direct disposal of expired medicines into garbage cans, and a small number of them are being returned to the pharmaceutical distributor companies.