IJCM_157A: Knowledge, attitude and disposal practices of unused and expired medicines among general public in Kundrathur primary health centre area of Madras Medical College.

Abstract

Background: Unfortunately, not all medications that go in to the hand of the consumers get consumed; large quantities remain unused or expire which is a public safety issue, leading to potential accidental poisoning, misuse, and overdose. Although the National Formulary of India, specifies guidelines for the proper disposal of medicines, yet most of the people are not aware of these guidelines and the importance to follow them. Even though there are many studies exploring the fate of unused and expired drugs, most of them are conducted in healthcare setups like hospitals. There is a need to explore the awareness of disposal practices among General Public. Objective: 1) To assess the knowledge, attitude and disposal practices of unused and expired medicines. 2) To assess perception regarding measures to be taken to improve awareness for disposal practices of unused and expired medicines. Methodology: Community based Cross-sectional study conducted among 230 participants in Kundrathur Primary Health Centre area. Systematic random sampling method was used to select individual household. Data collected through face-face interview using Prevalidated structured questionnaire, entered in Epicollect5 and analyzed in SPSS software. Results: A total of 232individuals participated in the study, of which 180(78%) were female,182(80%) were literate, and the participant’s mean age was 42.7±17. It was observed that 43%,91% and 13%of the participants exhibited good knowledge, a positive attitude, and good practice. The majority of individuals (78% & 89%) preferred to dispose of unused and expired medicines in the household trash. Most participants said that mass media, including radio, television, and newspapers, might raise awareness. Conclusion: This study shows that public awareness and behaviour about the proper disposal of unused and expired drugs need to be improved. The implementation of drug take-back initiatives will enable people to securely return any unused or expired medicines.