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Practice and opinion of pharmacists toward disposal of unused medicines in Indonesia
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| Author:
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SUSI ARI KRISTINA, FIRDA RIDHAYANI, MUFTI ALIFIA RAHMADANI, NADYA PUTRI AULIYA SERAWAIDI, ACHMAD WAHYUDI
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| Abstract:
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Background: Medicines is the most frequently used intervention in the treatment and prevention of diseases to improve the quality of life. However, if used incorrectly, medicines may be much more harmfull. Improper storage and disposal of medicinal products can provide direct impact on public safety, detrimental effect for the environment and health-care services. The role of pharmacists was required to resolve the improper disposal of medicines. Particularly, this study was conducted to explore the pharmacists’ practice, awareness, and barriers toward disposal of unused medicine in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Methods: This research was a cross-sectional study among community pharmacists in Yogyakarta province. The survey was carried out from November to December 2019. An observation checklist and 8-item self-administered questionnaire was developed, validated, and piloted to assess types medicines returned to pharmacies and pharmacists’ awareness and barriers in medicine disposal program.
Results: A total of 225 community pharmacists completed the survey. Majority of pharmacists (53.78%) participated in the medicine disposal program. There were total medicines returned as much as 16,245 and the total prescription-only medicine only was 5,953 (36.64%). Drugs of cardiovascular system (46.35%) were the most commonly returned medicines. Most of community pharmacists were aware of the dangers of improper disposal of medicine for environmental damage (mean score 3.75±1.32). Majority of community pharmacists agreed that lack of training to manage returned medicines as barrier to practice appropriate medicine disposal program (mean score 3.74±1.65).
Conclusion: Pharmacists is responsible to provide proper education and awareness to the community on how to disposed unused medicines and environmental consequence of improper disposal of medicines. In order to optimize the pharmacists’ practice and awareness toward the disposal of medicines, the involvement of policy makers is required as important part to develop and improve the regulations and guidelines for medicine disposal system.
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| Keyword:
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pharmacist, disposal, unused, drug, Indonesia
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| EOI:
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-
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| DOI:
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https://doi.org/10.31838/ijpr/2021.13.01.434
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| Download:
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